Russian-British Relations Decline
Russia Expels Four British Diplomats in Retaliatory Act
Since the late 2006 poisoning death of Alexander Litvinenko, relations have cooled between Britain and Russia, resulting in the recent tit-for-tat diplomatic explusions
Britain and Russia's diplomatic chess game continued Thursday with the retaliatory Russian expulsion of four British diplomats.. Britain made the game's first move Monday by expelling four Russian diplomats. Leading to this mini-crisis is Moscow's repeated refusal to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, the key suspect in the November 2006 poisoning death of Alexander Litvinenko in London.
Litvinenko Background
Litvinenko was a former employee of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), who fled to Britain from Russia in 2000. Litvinenko was arrested and released by Russian authorities following accusations that his superiors ordered the assassination of prominent Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky (no assassination actually occurred, and Berezovsky subsequently fled to Britain). After arriving in the United Kingdom and receiving political asylum, Litvinenko became a harsh critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He charged that Putin's rise to power was actually a coup d'etat organized by the FSB and blamed on Chechen terrorists.
In early November 2006, Litvinenko was hospitalized after a sudden illness. After two weeks, his skin began to turn yellow and his hair fell out in clumps. Doctors knew he had been poisoned, but only after he died on November 23, did they discover that it was from a rare radioactive isotope, polonium-210. Investigators discovered that Litvinenko had met with three former Russian security agents including Lugovoi on the day he fell ill. It is believed that he was poisoned at that meeting.
Was Putin Involved in the Poisoning?
Suspicions have fallen on Putin as having at least knowledge of the plan to poison Litvinenko, if not having actually ordered it. Putin has denied these allegations, though he has had an eye on Litvinenko since the late 1980s when Litvinenko and several other KGB (the former name of the FSB) agents leveled charges of corruption against the agency.
Is Cooperation Between Britain and Russia Possible?
On May 22, 2007 British authorities officially charged Lugovoi with Litvinenko's murder and sought his extradition from Russia (Lugovoi returned to Russia after his meeting with Litvinenko). The Russian government refused, claiming that it is against their constitution to extradite Russian citizens. Behind the scenes, Moscow had also been resentful of Britain not extraditing Berezovsky and Chechen rebel Akhmed Zakayev when requested to do so.
All this led to the current game of retaliation. The British government made the first move by expelling four Russian diplomats as retaliation for Russia's refusals. Not to be outdone, Russia reciprocated by expelling four British diplomats today. Perhaps both sides are once again on a level playing field and an agreement can be reached. At this moment, the game seems far from over and is only in a temporary stalemate.
References
Simon, Bob. "Who Killed Alexander Litvinenko?" CBS News - 60 Minutes. January 7, 2007.
