The businessman Dmitry Kovtun, previously condemned by British authorities for poisoning former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium, died at 58. State Duma deputy Andrei Lugovoi confirmed the cause as complications from a coronavirus infection. Lugovoi shared that Kovtun passed away after a serious illness tied to the virus and extended condolences to Kovtun’s family and friends.
According to a source from TASS, Kovtun died in a Moscow hospital.
Murder of Litvinenko
In 1998, Litvinenko and several fellow FSB officers indicated they had been ordered by superiors to kill oligarch Boris Berezovsky. Berezovsky left Russia in 2000 amid multiple criminal investigations and sought asylum in England. There, Litvinenko collaborated with intelligence services from Britain, Spain, and Italy.
The former FSB official stated openly that he did not live in hiding. He emphasized that he did not hire bodyguards or move between apartments as some claimed. He lived publicly with his passport and address known to journalists and the public, asserting that anyone who sought to kill him in England would have to do so openly.
On the night of November 23, 2006, Litvinenko’s health sharply declined after a meeting with Lugovoi and Kovtun at a London hotel. He died that day in a London hospital. Scotland Yard later determined the poisoning involved radioactive polonium-210.
Both Lugovoi and Kovtun denied involvement in Litvinenko’s death. Kovtun repeatedly declared his willingness to present evidence of innocence, while Lugovoi suggested the case was exploited to distract from the actual perpetrators.
Kovtun described the evidence as manufactured, insisting he had no role in the death. He argued that the London report from the open trial drew no conclusions based on false or fabricated evidence.
In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Lugovoy and Kovtun bore guilt in Litvinenko’s death beyond reasonable doubt. Russia was ordered to pay compensation to Marina Litvinenko’s widow, though Moscow challenged the court’s findings. The court noted an inability by Russian authorities to conduct a proper investigation or provide a credible explanation for the murder.
The Kremlin criticized the conclusions of British investigators as superficial and unprofessional and declined to accept the court order. Russian authorities contended that statements from London were contradicted by other European and internal investigations. There are claims that polonium was present in London before Lugovoy’s arrival, a point cited by Russian officials as part of the dispute.
Meanwhile, ITV announced plans for a series about Litvinenko’s poisoning, following Scotland Yard’s 10-year investigation. The project is directed by Field Smith and written by George Kay, with Marina Litvinenko portrayed by Margarita Levieva and Litvinenko by David Tennant.
What did Kovtun do?
Kovtun and Lugovoi became acquainted while studying at the Moscow Higher Military Command School. After graduation, Kovtun served in Czechoslovakia, then in the GDR, and later moved to Hamburg with his German wife, where he was granted political asylum.
On December 9, 2006, German police detected traces of radiation at Kovtun’s former in-law’s home. A criminal case opened on suspicion of storing and transporting radioactive substances. The case was later closed, Kovtun lost his residence permit, and he returned to Russia.
In 2017, Kovtun faced U.S. sanctions.