Moscow condemns Litvinenko inquiry as a political ‘whitewash’

The Litvinenko inquiry has been condemned by Russia as a political “whitewash” engineered to “slander” the country which would further “darken” already-frosty relations.

Moscow dismissed the finding that Valdimir Putin probably authorised the dissident’s murder by the state security service as a “gross provocation” connected to deep disputes over Ukraine and other issues.

And the two agents identified in the report as the killers said it was “crazy” and discredited the British justice system.