Russian henchman wanted for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko has advanced cancer – linked to the radioactive poison he ‘used in the hit on the anti-Putin dissident’
- Andrey Lugovoy has reportedly developed cancer following the hit in 2006
- Litvinenko died after ingesting Polonium-210, a rare radioactive substance
- Investigators believe Lugovoy’s tumour is related to the radioactive substance
By Dan Woodland
The Russian henchman who is wanted for poisoning Alexander Litvinenko has advanced cancer from the radioactive substance used in the attack.
Andrey Lugovoy, who is wanted for murder by British police, has reportedly developed prostate cancer following the hit in 2006.
Litvinenko, a former Russian federal security services and KGB officer and outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, died in hospital after ingesting Polonium-210, a rare radioactive substance.
Ukrainska Pravda newspaper reported that investigators believe Lugovoy’s tumour is related to the radioactive substance and cited findings from his medical reports that were leaked by Ukrainian cyber resistance group Inform-Napalm.
The documents also reveal that he ‘refused surgery and radiation therapy’ after doctors recommended ‘radical treatment’ for the disease, the Sun reported.
Lugovoy and his co-accused Dmitri Kovtun were found guilty of killing Litvinenko by a UK court in 2016, which decided there was a ‘strong possibility’ Russian authorities ordered the spy and wannabe pornstar to kill his compatriot for betraying his country.
The European Court of Human Rights upheld the ruling in 2021, when it declared the Russian state responsible for Litvinenko’s killing and found Kovtun and Lugovoy guilty beyond all reasonable doubt.
The ECHR’s verdict came after Litvinenko’s widow Marina brought a case demanding compensation from the Russian authorities for the death of her husband.
The court ordered Russia to pay her 100,000 euros in compensation, but the killers themselves were never brought to justice.
Russia has always denied any involvement in the death and had refused to comply with international arrest warrants issued for Kovtun and Lugovoi.
