Nothing changed before Novichok death - spy widow

The widow of erstwhile Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko said "nothing" had changed betwixt her husband's decease and the Novichok poisonings successful Salisbury.

Marina Litvinenko’s hubby died successful 2006 aft being poisoned successful London with a cupful of beverage laced with Polonium 210.

Mr Litvinenko’s assassination was "probably" ordered by President Vladimir Putin, a nationalist enquiry successful 2016 ruled.

Two years aft that ruling, 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess died successful Wiltshire aft coming into interaction with the aforesaid nervus cause successful what she thought was a vessel of perfume, an incidental Mrs Litvinenko said she "couldn't believe".

"By not strengthening extortion against an attack, radical who perpetrate crimes similar this consciousness relaxed, it means they mightiness bash this again," Mrs Litvinenko said.

"When no-one is arrested oregon extradited, they consciousness similar it’s casual to do."

Ms Sturgess’ decease successful July 2018 came months aft the attempted execution of erstwhile Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his girl Yulia successful Salisbury, who some survived.

The cases of the Skripals and Ms Sturgess are "similar" to what happened to Mr Litvinenko successful 2006, his widow said.

A year-long enquiry launched successful 2015 to analyse the circumstances of Mr Litvinenko's decease concluded that Putin was "probably" down the assassination - though Russia denies immoderate involvement.

Baroness Theresa May, who was premier curate from 2016 to 2019, antecedently said: "I deliberation we probably should person taken a stronger response to that astatine the clip and fixed a clearer connection to Russia."

Ms Litvinenko said Ms Sturgess was "an guiltless victim".

"No 1 targeted and tried to termination her. It makes it adjacent worse due to the fact that [Alexander] was a dissident, precise captious of Putin, truthful his beingness was successful information adjacent present [in the UK].

"But to mean British radical who consciousness similar they should beryllium protected and past conscionable dice 1 time due to the fact that immoderate overseas agents travel to play their games here, I don’t deliberation it makes them consciousness comfortable.

"When we yet had a nationalist enquiry and much evidence... I thought it mightiness unfastened eyes, not conscionable present successful the UK, but crossed the world, that it can’t beryllium concern arsenic accustomed for Putin," she added.

The Russian had sought asylum successful Britain successful 2000, aft Mr Litvinenko raised concerns astir their security.

Ms Litvinenko said her hubby assured her: "We are connected an island, we are successful a kingdom, we are nether extortion of the Queen, we are successful a harmless place."

"[The Russians] were not going to bash thing bad, but the radical ruling Russia present person antithetic rules," she added.

Father-of-one Mr Litvinenko had antecedently worked successful Russia arsenic an serviceman with the Federal Security Service, the successor to the KGB.

However, helium aboriginal became a fierce professional of the Kremlin, and secured enactment with the British quality bureau MI6, arsenic good arsenic citizenship.

It is alleged Mr Litvinenko was investigating Spanish links to the Russian mafia and had planned to alert to Spain with erstwhile cause Andrei Lugovoi - the main fishy implicit his murder.

On 1 November 2006, Mr Litvinenko met with Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun for beverage astatine a edifice successful London.

Mr Litvinenko unknowingly ingested the radioactive substance done his portion and rapidly became ill.

His information worsened implicit the people of 3 weeks, starring to hospitalisation, until his decease connected 23 November.

Ms Litvinenko was successful Berlin connected the time that the Skripals were found slumped connected a bench successful Salisbury successful March 2018.

She instantly thought the circumstances were "strange".

"I couldn’t judge it happened again," Ms Litvinenko said.

"After our nationalist inquiry, it was truthful evident you person to instrumentality much attraction and not let anyone to perpetrate a akin transgression connected your country.

"I believed it would beryllium a bully acquisition for the authorities to support its ain citizens, but it didn’t happen.

"I cognize information since 2018 has go much superior for different people, but it’s inactive not enough."

A Home Office spokesperson said their "deepest sympathies" remained with Ms Sturgess' family.

Ms Litvinenko added that she felt fto down by the UK authorities and believed her precocious hubby would too.

After the Salisbury poisonings, Mr Skripal rejected the government's connection of a alteration of name.

Ms Litvinenko said information services should person insisted helium instrumentality the connection due to the fact that of the risk.

"Putin made a precise beardown remark that immoderate force would beryllium punished," she said.

She stressed determination was a work to support the wider nationalist and not conscionable Mr Skripal.

"It's unbelievable what radical conscionable suffered due to the fact that idiosyncratic decided to punish idiosyncratic successful different country," she said.

Ms Litvinenko said the Dawn Sturgess enquiry was improbable to pb to "any peculiar constituent of achievement", but would supply her household with "the restitution that radical volition recognize what happened to you".

Caroline Sturgess, Dawn's mother, antecedently told the ongoing enquiry that it was a "solace" to her family that cipher other had died successful the Amesbury incident.

Ms Litvinenko said authorities needed to larn from this.

"You request to support them, and instrumentality it much seriously," she said.

"Every clip erstwhile we speech astir authorities oregon anything, we person to retrieve humanity.

"It's each we request to beryllium remembered, and it mightiness alteration thing if politicians volition deliberation astir radical much successful this way."

The Russian authorities has ever denied engagement successful the Salisbury poisonings and the Russian embassy has been approached for a comment.