Andrei Lugovoi promised a “sensation for public opinion in Britain” and delivered. Lugovoi said in a Moscow news conference, “Today I would like to make an announcement, which should shed some light on this dark political story, where the main roles were played by the British secret service and their agents Berezovsky and the late Litvinenko.” He then went on to add that MI6 attempted “to openly recruit me as a British intelligence service agent. The Britons in fact suggested that I collect any information that could compromise President Putin and members of his family.” He then made a litany of accusations. He claimed that he could prove that British intelligence was behind Litvinenko’s murder, that Litvinenko and Berezovsky were British agents, and that Litvinenko had ties to Chechen terrorists, who he met in Istanbul. He offered three theories to Litvinenko’s murder: MI6, the Russian mafia, or Berezovsky, emphasizing “I am very serious about what I am saying, including these accusations.” He then added that he and colleague Dmitry Kovtun were “not only innocent or witnesses, but are victims.”
On the whole, Lugovoi played the ever so overplayed, “the entire affair is to discredit Russia” card.
You can listen to the press conference here (in Russian).
This fiasco is just getting better and better.
