The widow of ex-Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko has welcomed Gordon Brown's stance on the extradition of a man to stand trial over her husband's death.

Marina Litvinenko praised the prime minister for "standing firm" on calls for Andrei Lugovoi to be extradited two years after her husband was poisoned.

Mr Brown is thought to have raised the case with new Russian president Dmitry Medvedev at the G8 summit in Japan.

The UK suspects ex-KGB agent Mr Lugovoi of murder but he denies involvement.

Mr Litvinenko, who was a fierce critic of former Russian President Vladimir Putin, was poisoned in London in 2006.

His widow's comments came after Whitehall sources told the BBC's Newsnight the murder was carried out with the backing of the Russian state.

'No compromise'

Mrs Litvinenko said she was "proud of being British" in a statement released following the G8 talks.

"I am convinced that the harassment of the British Council and British Petroleum in Moscow were devised by the Kremlin to induce Britain to stop pursuing Mr Lugovoi's extradition.

"I was relieved to find out the prime minister stood firm and explained to Mr Medvedev that there can be no compromise on that."

She added: "Britain once again has shown that it would not short-change its principles in the face of bullying and blackmail."

In May 2007, the Crown Prosecution Service formally submitted an extradition request to Moscow for Mr Lugovoi to stand trial in Britain.

That request remains current, but Russia has refused to co-operate saying it would be against its constitution to do so.

Meanwhile, on the Litvinenko case a senior security official told Newsnight there were "very strong indications it was a state action."

The BBC has been told Russia's internal security organisation, the FSB, operated under Mr Putin with far more autonomy than the organisations usually entrusted with foreign espionage operations.

Our source said: "We very strongly believe the Litvinenko case to have had some state involvement."

(BBC)

<< Back