Lugovoi and Kovtun’s family find themselves victims of assualt in UK

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Two Russian businessmen, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, have held a news conference in Moscow today. Overall, more than 130 Russian and foreign reporters, as well as crews from 26 TV-channels were accredited to the event. Vesti news channel was broadcasting the news conference live.

In the beginning of the news conference, Lugovoi announced that Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky living in exile in the UK and ex-FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko were recruited by the British intelligence, which made it easier for them to obtain political asylum and UK citizenship. Besides, according to Kovtun, having a British passport, Litvinenko repeatedly visited Pankissi Gorge in Georgia. In Turkey, he, under an instruction of one of militants leader Ahmed Zakayev met representatives of illegal militant groups.

“First, we are not guilty and we are not just witnesses. I think that Dmitry Kovtun and members of my family will support me – we consider ourselves victims. We believe that we were subjected to psychological or any other attack in the territory of Great Britain,” Lugovoi announced.

“The Litvinenko case is a criminal one, it is not an issue of intelligence… We expect official and constructive response (to the request to extradite Lugovoi — REGNUM),” said a spokesman for the UK embassy in response, who preferred not to be identified.

In Russia, Lugovoi is considered to be a witness in case opened by the Office of the Russian Prosecutor General on the attempt on ex-FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko and Dmitry Kovtun. The British prosecution charged Lugovoi with murder and claims for his extradition.

Former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko died on November 23, 2006, of poisoning by radioactive polonium 210. Russian businessmen, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, with whom Litvinenko met before his death, were suspected in poisoning him.