UK Inquiry says Putin most likely Approved the Killing of Ex-Spy Alexander Litvinenko

An official United Kingdom inquiry into the death of former Russian spy, Alexander V. Litvineko, who defected to Great Britain, reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the head of the country's spy service most likely approved the murder plans.

The report, which was published Thursday and chaired by former British High Court judge Robert Owen, found "strong circumstantial evidence" that ties the murder of Litvineko to the highest levels of the Russian government. After leaving Russia for the UK, Litvineko was publicly critical of the Russian leadership.

"Litvinenko made repeated highly personal attacks on President Putin, culminating in (an) allegation of pedophilia in July 2006," the 328-page report wrote.

Owen also noted that Russia most likely viewed Litvineko as a traitor.

The report accused two Russian agents of killing Litvineko in 2006 by lacing his tea with a radioactive toxin known as polonium-210. The men, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kouvtun, had met Litvineko at the Pine Bar of the Millennium Hotel in London right before Litvineko fell ill. He died three weeks later at the age of 43.

Owen stated that even though it is highly probably that the two men poisoned Litvineko, it is possible that Lugovoi and Kouvtun were just following orders and did not understand how polounium-210 worked.

The report added that after the killing, Putin's positive attitude and treatment toward Lugovoi could suggest "that the Russian state approves of Mr. Litvinenko's killing, or at least that it wishes to signal approval for it."

Following this report, British home secretary Theresa May announced that Britain will be freezing the assets of Lugovoi, who is a member of the Russian Parliament, and Kouvtun. Lugovoi has commented on the report, calling it "absurd."

He added to Interfax news agency according to USA TODAY that the accusations "once again confirm London's anti-Russian position and the blinkered view and unwillingness of the British to establish the true cause of Litvinenko's death."

Kouvtun stated that he will not comment until he has finished reading the entire report.

Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman in Moscow, stated, "We regret that the strictly criminal case has been politicized and has darkened the general atmosphere of bilateral relations. Certainly, we need some time to thoroughly analyze the contents of this document, after which we will issue our detailed review."

Litvinenko's wife, Marina, was happy to hear the report's findings.

"I am of course very pleased that the words my husband spoke on his death bed when he accused Mr. Putin of his murder have been proved true," she said quoted by NBC News. "If you commit this crime, in the end you will face justice."

The inquiry in Litvinenko's death was ordered in 2014 at the request of Marina and several British lawmakers. Throughout the investigation, Owen spoke with 62 witnesses, analyzed official secret intelligence information and used his own ties with the spy agencies to gather more information.

To read the full report, click here.