Dmitry Kovtun
Encyclopedia
Dmitry Vladimirovich Kovtun is a Russia
n businessman and ex-KGB
agent who met the poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko
several times in London
, the last time hours before Litvinenko fell ill. Kovtun was hospitalised with radiation poisoning in Moscow
.
report finding traces of radiation at Hamburg
flat used by Kovtun. According to German investigators, the polonium
traces were found on a couch where Kovtun is believed to have slept at his ex-wife's apartment in Hamburg
(Altona
-Ottensen) the night before he headed to London for a meeting with Litvinenko last month and according to British investigators, polonium traces were found on the airplanes in which Kovtun traveled between Moscow and London. Polonium traces were also found in Kovtun's car in Hamburg
.
Both Russian and British investigators have interviewed Kovtun. Furthermore, German detectives investigated Kovtun's suspected participation to plutonium smuggling into Germany
. Germany dropped the case against Kovtun on November 2009 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6915002.ece
Kovtun was hospitalised in Moscow with radiation poisoning. On 12 December 2006 he told Russia's Channel One TV that his "health was improving". Kovtun says that he has only one explanation for the presence of polonium: "It is that I brought it back from London, where I met Alexander Litvinenko on October 16, 17 and 18". British detectives, on the other hand, believe Litvinenko was not contaminated until the meeting on 1 November.
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n businessman and ex-KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
agent who met the poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko
Alexander Litvinenko
Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko was an officer who served in the Soviet KGB and its Russian successor, the Federal Security Service ....
several times in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the last time hours before Litvinenko fell ill. Kovtun was hospitalised with radiation poisoning in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Radiation investigation
Kovtun met the poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko in London on several occasions, first in mid-October and later only hours before Litvinenko fell ill on 1 November. On 9 December 2006, German policePolice
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
report finding traces of radiation at Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
flat used by Kovtun. According to German investigators, the polonium
Polonium
Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84, discovered in 1898 by Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie. A rare and highly radioactive element, polonium is chemically similar to bismuth and tellurium, and it occurs in uranium ores. Polonium has been studied for...
traces were found on a couch where Kovtun is believed to have slept at his ex-wife's apartment in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
(Altona
Altona, Hamburg
Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937...
-Ottensen) the night before he headed to London for a meeting with Litvinenko last month and according to British investigators, polonium traces were found on the airplanes in which Kovtun traveled between Moscow and London. Polonium traces were also found in Kovtun's car in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
Both Russian and British investigators have interviewed Kovtun. Furthermore, German detectives investigated Kovtun's suspected participation to plutonium smuggling into Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Germany dropped the case against Kovtun on November 2009 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6915002.ece
Kovtun was hospitalised in Moscow with radiation poisoning. On 12 December 2006 he told Russia's Channel One TV that his "health was improving". Kovtun says that he has only one explanation for the presence of polonium: "It is that I brought it back from London, where I met Alexander Litvinenko on October 16, 17 and 18". British detectives, on the other hand, believe Litvinenko was not contaminated until the meeting on 1 November.
Speculation of poisoning
Various theories of Dmitry Kovtun involvement have been progressed in the media. One theory is he may be the murderer or an accomplice of one of the murderers of Alexander Litvinenko and mishandling the substance used, polonium-210. The other theory is that he is a victim just like or of Alexander LitvinenkoAlexander Litvinenko
Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko was an officer who served in the Soviet KGB and its Russian successor, the Federal Security Service ....
.
See also
- Alexander Litvinenko poisoningAlexander Litvinenko poisoningAlexander Litvinenko was a former officer of the Russian Federal Security Service, FSB and KGB, who escaped prosecution in Russia and received political asylum in the United Kingdom...
- Andrei LugovoiAndrei LugovoiAndrey Konstantinovich Lugovoy is a Russian politician and businessman and deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation for the LDPR. He is a former KGB bodyguard and the ex-head of the security firm "Ninth Wave."...
- Anna PolitkovskayaAnna PolitkovskayaAnna Stepanovna Politkovskaya was a Russian journalist, author, and human rights activist known for her opposition to the Chechen conflict and then-President of Russia Vladimir Putin...
- Mario ScaramellaMario ScaramellaMario Scaramella is an Italian lawyer, self-styled security consultant and nuclear waste expert who came to international prominence in 2006 in connection with the poisoning of the ex-FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko...