UK - Russian relations 'under strain'

Diplomatic relations with Russia will come under increasing strain today amid promises of retaliation for the expulsion of four of its UK diplomats.

Gordon Brown insisted he would give “no apologies” for the move – sparked by Moscow’s refusal to hand over the ex-KGB agent accused of murdering Alexander Litvinenko in London.

Britain was “not prepared to allow a situation of lawlessness to develop in London as a result of a failure to act,” the prime minister said in Berlin.

The expulsions were part of a raft of measures announced by Foreign Secretary David Miliband in response to the Kremlin’s decision to block the extradition of ex-KGB agent Andrei Lugovoy.

He said there was a “significant body of evidence” against Lugovoy and the measures would send a “clear and proportionate” signal to Moscow that it should send him to stand trial.

But the Russian government condemned the move as “provocative” and “immoral” and said it would have “the most serious consequences for Russian-British relations as a whole”.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said the UK was “trying to justify” its own refusal to extradite tycoon Boris Berezovsky and Chechen separatist figure Akhmed Zakayev.

He did not specify what measures Russia would take but said they would seek to resolve the issues “in a constructive way, without politicising them”.

However there seemed every possibility of the type of tit-for-tat expulsions rarely seen since the end of the Cold War.

Mr Litvinenko, a former Russian security agent who fled to Britain, died in a London hospital last November from a fatal dose of the extremely rare radioactive isotope polonium 210.

Mr Brown – whose first overseas visit was overshadowed by the affair – told reporters: “We want the best possible relationships with Russia. We want to work together with Russia, constructively on all the major international issues that we face.”

But he went on: “I think people have got to understand that when a murder is committed on British soil and when innocent people are put at risk by the methods by which that murder is committed and we have a full police investigation and the Independent Prosecuting Authority demanding that a certain person be arrested, then we expect authorities in other parts of the world to cooperate with us in bringing that person to justice.”

Britain is also reviewing cooperation with Russia on a range of issues, including suspending visa negotiations intended to make it easier for its citizens to travel to the UK.

A European arrest warrant has been issued for Lugovoy and a “red alert” put out by Interpol, meaning he could be extradited to the UK if he travels outside Russia.

Mr Litvinenko was a fierce critic of the Russian regime and had close links with a network of expatriate dissidents, both in the UK and New York.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced in May that it would seek the extradition of Lugovoy to face trial for his murder but Russia has rejected Britain’s request.

Mr Litvinenko’s widow Marina issued a statement expressing her gratitude to the British Government and urging the Russian authorities to cooperate.

“It makes me proud to be a UK citizen because I can see that my strong faith in the British authorities was well founded and that they too share my determination,” she said.

But Lugovoy told Channel 4 News the case had a “political subtext”.

He said: “From the first day this scandal had a political subtext. I am not a politician so it is hard for me to judge the diplomatic scandal.

“But I am sure that all the British do is for domestic consumption.”

He said he had given evidence to Russian prosecutors “and I do not intend to publicise it. They’ve opened two criminal cases”.

And he hit out at Mr Miliband’s statement, saying: “If they blame me directly, I will take that minister to court. They do not have the right to say that.”