Panel to rule on ex-Russian spy’s killing

Panel to rule on ex-Russian spy’s killing
The long-awaited findings of a public inquiry into the killing of former Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko, are due to be released by a judge.
Mr. Litvinenko died at the age of 43 in London in 2006, days after being poisoned with radioactive polonium-210, which he is believed to have drunk in a cup of tea, the BBC reports.
Two Russian men, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, have denied killing him.
The judge will decide whether to name any culprits and whether any elements in the Russian state were responsible.
The BBC says the real issue for the report is whether the trail leads to the heart of the Russian state and even to President Vladimir Putin himself.
The report may also focus on whether it was specific investigations into links between organised crime and the Kremlin which led to Mr. Litvinenko’s killing.
If it points to state responsibility, pressure is likely to grow for the British government to take action against Moscow, the BBC says.
Speaking ahead of the inquiry’s findings, Mr. Litvinenko’s son, Anatoly, told the BBC: “You want to find out who was behind the murder, who planned it, who commissioned it.
“That is why state responsibility is important to us.”