Alexandr Litvinenko, a former Russian spy, who defected after working witht the Soviet KGB, and who appears to have been poisoned, died yesterday in a London hospital. Litvinenko was reportedly investigating the contract killing of investigative journalist and fellow Kremlin critic, Anna Politkovskaya.

Doctors believe the cause of death was exposure to a radioactive substance called polonium. The substance was found in his body in doses sufficient to take a human life. He claims he was somehow poisoned on the 1st of November, this year, for his opposition to Russian pres. Vladimir Putin's government, its methods and its activities inside and outside Russia.

Litvinenko accused Russian pres. Vladimir Putin, saying on his deathbed "You have shown yourself to be as barbaric and ruthless as your most hostile critics have claimed. You may succeed in silencing one man, but the howl of protest from around the world will reverberate, Mr Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life. May God forgive you for what you have done, not only to me, but to beloved Russia and its people".

While Vladimir Putin said there was no evidence the death was "violent", an apparent reference to whether it was a criminal act or not, a Russian diplomat in Helsinki has been quoted as admitting "The man was poisoned", only to claim the accusation against Putin were "ridiculous". Putin also later acknowledged that Litvinenko appeared to have been died after exposure to some sort of toxin, but claimed the circumstances were not remarkable. [s]

• Forbes: "Poisoned Former KGB Spy Dies in London"
• Guardian: "Radiation experts in spy death case"
• Mail & Guardian: "Poisoned ex-spy warns Putin from beyond grave"