Litvinenko inquiry to rule on former Russian spy's killing

The long-awaited findings of a public inquiry into the killing of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko are due to be released by a judge.

Mr Litvinenko died aged 43 in London in 2006, days after being poisoned with radioactive polonium-210, which he is believed to have drunk in a cup of tea.

Two Russian men, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, have denied killing him.

The judge will decide whether to name any culprits and whether any elements in the Russian state were responsible.

BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera says the real issue for the report is whether the trail leads to the heart of the Russian state and even to President Vladimir Putin himself.

Long road to the truth for Litvinenko family

Who was Alexander Litvinenko?

A deadly trail of polonium

Image captionAndrei Lugovoi (pictured here in 2006) and Dmitry Kovtun deny involvement

The report may also focus on whether it was specific investigations into links between organised crime and the Kremlin which led to Mr Litvinenko's killing.

Our correspondent says that if it does point to state responsibility, pressure is likely to grow for the British government to take action against Moscow.

Speaking ahead of the inquiry's findings, Mr Litvinenko's son, Anatoly, told the BBC: "You want to find out who was behind the murder, who planned it, who commissioned it.

"That is why state responsibility is important to us."

The judge, Sir Robert Owen, heard from 62 witnesses in six months of hearings and was shown secret intelligence evidence about Mr Litvinenko and his links with British intelligence agencies.

Media captionThe son of murdered Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko gives his first television interview

The former officer in Russia's FSB spy agency had fled to the UK in 2000, claiming persecution, and was granted asylum. He gained British citizenship several years later.

In the years before his death, he had worked as a writer and journalist, becoming a strong critic of the Kremlin.

It is believed he also worked as a consultant for MI6, specialising in Russian organised crime.

A friend said there was personal animosity between Mr Litvinenko and Mr Putin.

"They disliked each other immensely, because Litvinenko complained about corruption… and Putin shelved his report," Alex Goldfarb said.

"And Putin considered Litvinenko, after the fact, a traitor for going public with his allegations."