Translated material
Nuclear confessions
Litvinenko, on instructions from the FSB, could have been involved in smuggling radioactive materials
A new twist has emerged in the case of the poisoning of former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko. It turns out that he admitted to Italian professor Mario Scarmella, whom he met on the day he was hospitalized, that at one time, on instructions from the FSB, he himself was involved in smuggling nuclear materials to Europe.At the same time, Boris Berezovsky, who had been in the shadows throughout the Litvinenko poisoning story, suddenly came to the fore. It is his photographs that roam the pages of British newspapers today. This is primarily due to the fact that the London police are going to question Berezovsky in detail about the nature of his relationship with Alexander Litvinenko and what their cooperation consisted of. According to the London newspaper The Times, the interrogation of the entrepreneur may take place in the near future.
On Tuesday evening, Berezovsky had already dealt with the British police . The businessman was interrogated in connection with traces of the radioactive compound polonium-210 discovered in his office. The day before, Berezovsky broke his silence on the death of Alexander Litvinenko and made his first public comment on this topic. Mr Berezovsky "pays tribute to the bravery, determination and honour" of the former FSB officer who died on the night of 24 November, the Guardian newspaper reported.
Berezovsky emphasized that he was deeply saddened by the death of the man to whom he owed his life. "All this time he remained my close friend and ally," Berezovsky said. “I will remember him for his courage, determination and nobility. My thoughts are with his bereaved wife Marina, son and the rest of his family.”
Boris Berezovsky confirmed that "as part of an ongoing investigation of all places visited by Litvinenko on 1 November 2006" traces of radiation were found at his office at 7 Down Street in central London. Referring to the reasons for Litvinenko's death, Berezovsky said: “I and many of Litvinenko's friends have already publicly expressed our views on what we believe might have happened. So the best we can do is let the police do their job."
Meanwhile, sensational details related to the Litvinenko case were published by another London newspaper, The Independent. They were revealed by Professor Mario Scaramella , who flew to London yesterday to give evidence to Scotland Yard officers and undergo tests for the presence of polonium-210 in his body. He said that during their last meeting, Litvinenko told him that, on instructions from the FSB, he organized the transfer of nuclear materials from Russia. Litvinenko admitted to masterminding the smuggling of radioactive materials into Zurich in 2000, Mr Scaramella said. If this is true and such operations have not stopped, the polonium-210 in Litvinenko’s body could well be of Russian origin.
Professor Scaramella's statement came as a complete surprise to Litvinenko's entourage. His friend Alex Goldfarb said that he knew nothing about Litvinenko’s participation in smuggling at the direction of the FSB. "He didn't mention anything about dealing with nuclear materials while working for the FSB," Mr. Goldfarb said.
Meanwhile, the British Ministry of Health reports that 1,100 people have already notified doctors that on November 1 they visited the places where Litvinenko visited. Eight people were sent to a London clinic for appropriate examinations. The number of places where traces of increased radiation are found is also increasing.
The British authorities are determined to bring the investigation into the causes of Litvinenko's death to the end. This is indirectly evidenced by the words of Prime Minister Tony Blair, which he said at a press conference in Copenhagen on Tuesday. Touching upon the topic of the poisoning of a former FSB officer for the first time, the prime minister said that “there will be no barriers” to the investigation. He also stated that he intended to discuss this issue with the Russian leader. "I have not spoken to President Putin about this yet, but I will certainly do so at the first opportunity," Mr Blair said.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, at the initiative of Labor Party MP Chris Bryant, British parliamentarians held a debate on relations with Russia in the House of Commons. They were devoted to problems associated with the death of Litvinenko. However, as the parliament press center told Vremya Novostey, other topics of British-Russian relations may be raised during the debate. Speaking at the meeting, Bryant said that there were between 30 and 60 Russian spies working in the UK. He did not name the source of this information, but complained that the British security service MI5 is currently more concerned with fighting domestic terrorism and is not involved in countering foreign espionage activities.