Russia launches investigation into Litvinenko affair

Russia said today it had launched its own investigation after the man wanted by Britain in connection with the murder of former spy Alexander Litvinenko made allegations about MI6 involvement in the affair.The federal security service in Moscow said it had started an espionage inquiry into claims made by Andrei Lugovoi, the Russian businessman sought for extradition by Britain in connection with Litvinenko's death last November.
The one-sentence statement by the intelligence agency said only that the investigation would look into statements made by Mr Lugovoi.
Last month, Mr Lugovoi claimed that Litvinenko and his patron, UK-based Russian tycoon and Kremlin critic Boris Berezovsky, had contacts with the British security service, and that Mr Berezovsky had given British intelligence sensitive information about Russia.The Russian investigation threatens to complicate an already fraught issue that is straining Anglo-Russian relations, also under pressure over the planned US missile defence shield, which the UK supports.
Britain is seeking Mr Lugovoi's extradition as the chief suspect in the poisoning of Litvinenko with radioactive polonium-210.
The businessman has denied any involvement and Russia has refused to agree to the extradition.
Separately, Russia has been seeking Mr Berezovsky's extradition for alleged economic crimes. The billionaire was granted political asylum in Britain in 2003 after a political falling out with Russia's president, Vladimir Putin.
The run-up to last week's G8 summit in Germany was dominated by hawkish statements from Mr Putin, who said Russia would point its missiles at European cities in response to plans to establish bases for the missile shield in Eastern Europe. This was met with a frosty reaction from the US and UK.
Before leaving for the summit, Tony Blair stressed that he wanted continued good relations with Russia but warned that these were conditional on "certain shared principles and shared values".
Litvinenko left Russia after claiming Russian intelligence agents, rather than Chechen rebels, organised a deadly series of apartment block bombings in 1999. Before he died in a London hospital, he accused Mr Putin's regime of being behind his poisoning, something Moscow vehemently denies.
Mr Lugovoi and another businessman, Dmitry Kovtun, met Litvinenko on November 1, the day he said he fell ill. Radiation traces were found at several locations connected with the men, including the London hotel bar where they met Litvinenko.
Both men were questioned in the presence of British investigators in Moscow in December, and Mr Lugovoi's extradition was requested last month. Mr Putin called the demand "stupidity".
Russian prosecutors have said Mr Lugovoi could be tried in Russia if Britain provides enough evidence to warrant a charge, but there is little sign of this happening yet.