The widow of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian spy who died in London after being poisoned by a radioactive substance in 2006, has spoken out about the similarities between her husband’s assassination and the recent Novichok poisonings in Salisbury. In an interview with the Crime Next Door: Salisbury Poisonings podcast, Marina Litvinenko said “nothing” had changed in the way the UK protects against such attacks, despite a public inquiry in 2016 that “probably” ruled that President Vladimir Putin ordered Mr Litvinenko’s death.
Ms Litvinenko expressed her disbelief at the circumstances surrounding the death of Dawn Sturgess in Wiltshire in 2018, after she came into contact with Novichok in what she believed to be perfume. The incident occurred months after the attempted murder of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury. Ms Litvinenko said that without better protection against an attack, those who commit such crimes feel relaxed and may do so again.
The Russian had sought asylum in Britain in 2000 after Mr Litvinenko raised concerns about their security. Ms Litvinenko said that her husband had assured her that they were “in a safe place” under the protection of the Queen. “But the people ruling Russia now have different rules,” she said. Father-of-three Mr Litvinenko had previously worked as an officer with the Federal Security Service.
A year-long inquiry began in 2015 to investigate Mr Litvinenko’s death, concluding that Putin was “probably” behind the assassination, although Russia has always denied involvement. Baroness Theresa May, prime minister between 2016 and 2019, has said that the UK “probably should have taken a stronger response” to Mr Litvinenko’s death.
Ms Litvinenko said that the cases of the Skripals and Ms Sturgess were “similar” to what had happened to her husband. She added that while the conclusion of the public inquiry may have opened eyes, not just in the UK but worldwide, to Putin’s actions, nothing had changed in protecting against attacks
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