Summary
Overview
This episode concludes the investigation into Alexander Litvinenko's 2006 poisoning death in London, examining the years-long fight for justice led by his widow Marina, the eventual public inquiry that pointed to Putin's approval, and the weak UK government response that failed to deter further Russian assassinations on British soil.
The British State's Resistance to a Public Inquiry
For years after Litvinenko's murder, the British government actively blocked calls for a public inquiry, citing concerns about damaging relations with Russia and national security. This resistance was driven by multiple factors: MI6's reluctance to expose their relationship with Litvinenko, the Foreign Office's priority to maintain diplomatic and business ties with Russia, and the corrupting influence of Russian money flooding into London's professional class. Only Marina Litvinenko's relentless campaign and the 2014 Ukraine crisis finally forced the government to relent.
- MI6 was shocked by the murder and reluctant to have an inquiry expose their consultant relationship with Litvinenko
- The Foreign Office prioritized getting back to normal diplomatic relations with Russia over investigating the murder
- David Cameron visited Moscow in 2011 to boost business ties, and Putin attended the London Olympics in 2012
- Russian money had corrupted London's professional class - lawyers, accountants, bankers - creating dependency on Russian wealth
- The Home Office claimed revelations from an inquiry might damage national security and relations with Russia
- Marina Litvinenko fought tenaciously for years through judicial reviews, even mortgaging her house to continue
- The inquiry was finally approved in July 2014 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine shifted the geopolitical context
" It was a kick in the guts, one British intelligence officer told me. We never thought they'd do it. "
" Russian money had corrupted the professions in London. The amount of money that Russian oligarchs and businesses could offer to lawyers, accountants, bankers, asset managers, estate agents, members of Britain's professional class, meant they were willing to turn a blind eye to the origins of the wealth and not ask too many questions. "
The 2016 Public Inquiry and Its Findings
Presiding Judge Sir Robert Owen conducted both public and classified hearings, producing a powerful 2016 report that concluded Lugovoy and Kovtun were the killers acting as part of an FSB operation, likely approved by FSB head Patrushev and President Putin himself. The inquiry traced the plot potentially back to 2004 and provided Marina and her son Anatoly some measure of closure after ten years of fighting for truth.
- The inquiry was led by Judge Sir Robert Owen, who conducted both public and secret hearings with access to classified intelligence
- Anatoly Litvinenko said the inquiry helped him understand what his father had been doing and that finding the truth was the closest they could get to justice
- The judge concluded the plot may have gone back to 2004 when Lugovoy first contacted Litvinenko
- The report stated that Lugovoy and Kovtun were acting as part of an FSB operation, probably approved by Patrushev and Putin
" My father did a hell of a lot to get me to this country, to make sure I was safe. I need to respect that and do whatever I can to honour his memory. Finding the truth is the closest we can get to justice for my father. "
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