Startling claims have been made that one of Russia’s most notorious “poisoners” was assassinated over suspicions that he was linked to the intelligence agency of an “unfriendly” country.
Dmitry Kovtun ’s death at the age of 56 was revealed on Saturday, with the official cause being that he had died from Covid complications.
He was wanted in Britain for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko - a leading Vladimir Putin foe - which was reportedly carried out with polonium-210 in 2006.
The assassination claim comes from Telegram channel General SVR which claims - without offering proof - to have inside sources in the Kremlin.
“The decision to liquidate Kovtun was made three days before his death after a report by the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Nikolai Patrushev, to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which indicated Kovtun's connection with the intelligence of an unfriendly country,” claimed the channel.
“This is the fastest implementation of a liquidation of a "traitor" after the decision was made.
“Earlier it took at least two months to prepare an operation of this kind.”
The report gave no further detail and did not indicate which foreign country’s intelligence service was being referred to.
Kovtun was accused with ex-FSB operative Andrei Lugovoy - now a ultranationalist MP - of spiking Litvinenko’s tea with polonium-210 in a London hotel.
After the poisoning allegation, there remained questions about businessman Kovtun’s health.
Lugovoy said on Saturday that Kovtun had “passed away suddenly as a result of a serious illness linked to a coronavirus infection.
“This is an irreplaceable and difficult loss for us.
“From the bottom of my heart I express my deepest condolences to all of Dima’s (Dmitry’s) relatives and friends.”
Kovtun, who had been a KGB operative - like Lugovoy and Litvinenko, died in a Moscow hospital, he said.
Later he moved to Hamburg where he claimed political asylum.
His former wife said he had dreamed of becoming a porn star, and had a drink problem.
Britain said he and Lugovoy were working for the Russian state, and acting on orders, when Litvinenko was poisoned with polonium-210 at the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair.
Litvinenko died aged 43 on 23 November 2006, more than three weeks after the initial poisoning.
Three days before he died an infamous photo of him was released - lying in bed without hair.
It was claimed he had given valuable information to Western intelligence services.
A British public inquiry in 2016 concluded that Litvinenko's murder was "probably approved" personally by Putin.
Both suspects repeatedly denied the UK allegations.
Russia refused to extradite the pair to face trial in London.
General SVR claims to be authored by an exiled Kremlin lieutenant-general insider who is known by the alias Viktor Mikhailovich.
