The death of Alexander Litvinenko shocked the world in 2006.
The former Russian KSB agent died after being exposed to polonium, a rare radioactive substance, in a terrorist attack blamed on Putin’s government.
Now David Tennant is starring in a new drama about a 10-year legal battle to prove who committed the crime.
Here’s everything you need to know Litvinenko.
What can we expect from the program?
ITV writes: “David Tennant plays Alexander Litvinenko, a former member of the Russian Federal Security Service and the KGB, whose death from polonium-210 poisoning in November 2006 led to one of the most complex and dangerous investigations in the history of the Metropolitan Police.
“Litvinenko is the story of determined agents from New Scotland Yard trying to prove who was responsible for the death of Alexander Litvinenko… The drama tells how, in November 2006, two police officers were called to University College Hospital in London to find a patient in failing health. The patient was Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian dissident who claimed to have been poisoned on the direct orders of Vladimir Putin. During police interrogations, lying in a hospital bed, Alexander meticulously recounted the details of the events that led to his illness, which he knew would be fatal.
“His information will eventually help investigators track down the two Russians who poisoned Litvinenko with polonium-210, a highly toxic radioactive substance. The drama also focuses on the story of Marina, played by Margarita Levieva (Deuce, blacklist), the fearless, dignified widow of Alexander, who fought tirelessly to convince the British government to publicly name her husband’s killers and acknowledge the role of the Russian state in his assassination.
Who was Litvinenko?
was a former Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officer led by Vladimir Putin who specialized in fighting organized crime.
The officer and several of his colleagues publicly accused their superiors in November 1998 of ordering the assassination of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky.
He was later arrested for exceeding his authority, acquitted in November 1999, and arrested again before the charges were dropped again a year later in 2000.
Mr Litvinenko fled to the UK in 2000 after speaking out against what he saw as corruption in the Russian government.
He later worked for MI6, consulted for Russia, and became a journalist and writer openly critical of Vladimir Putin and Russia.
The dissident is said to have “repeatedly attacked Putin in a very personal manner” after he applied for asylum in the UK in July 2006, including allegations of paedophilia.
Mr Litvinenko wrote two books Explosion of Russia: terror from within as well as Lubyanka criminal gangand accused the Russian intelligence services of trying to bring Putin to power by staging the 1999 Russian apartment bombings and other major incidents and killings.
Mr. Litvinenko met Mr. Putin in person only once, in 1998. At the time, Mr. Putin was the head of the FSB, and Mr. Litvinenko was pushing for intelligence reforms.
How did he die?
A former Russian FSB officer was poisoned with polonium-210 in London in November 2006. Three weeks later he died a painful death in the hospital.
The incident has been described as a “nuclear attack on the streets of London” that provoked an international scandal and led to the downfall of Anglo-Russian relations after the end of the Cold War.
Many believed that his assassination was personally signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Litvinenko even pointed the finger at the Kremlin on his deathbed.
Russia denies any involvement in his death.
On the morning of November 1, 2006, Litvinenko met with Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, two former KGB agents, at the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair. Later that day, he became seriously ill.
A public inquiry into his death in 2016 found that Lugovoi and Kovtun likely made two unsuccessful attempts to poison Litvinenko with polonium-210 before doing so at the Millennium Hotel.
Large traces of radioactive material were found in all three hotels where the Russian officials stayed during their stay in London, as well as in several restaurants and planes frequented by the couple.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that Russia was responsible for the murder of a former spy in 2006.
The ECtHR said in a statement: “Russia is responsible for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in the UK.”
The case was brought by Maria Anna Carter, Litvinenko’s widow, and lasted 10 years.
The court added that the Russian government “had not provided any other satisfactory and convincing explanation for the events” and had failed to conduct an “effective internal investigation” to identify and punish those responsible.
In its September 2021 decision, the ECtHR added that “the court found beyond reasonable doubt that the murders were committed by Lugovoi and Kovtun.”
It said: “There was a strong At first sight the case that Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun acted as agents of the Russian State in the poisoning of Mr Litvinenko.
“The planned and complex operation, which included acquiring a rare lethal poison, arranging a trip for the couple, and repeated and persistent attempts to administer the poison, indicated that Mr. Litvinenko was the target of the operation,” the verdict reads. .
When can I watch?
Complete series Litvinenko will be available on ITVX from 15 December.
Source: I News
I am Harvey Rodriguez, an experienced news reporter and author with 24 News Reporters. My main areas of expertise are in entertainment and media. I have a passion for uncovering stories about the people behind the scenes that bring the entertainment world to life. I take pride in providing my readers with timely and accurate information on all aspects of the entertainment industry.