Anatoly Litvinenko, the son of murdered Russian defector Alexander Litvinenko, has said his father's warnings about Vladimir Putin are "more appropriate now than ever before," 20 years after the poisoning in London.
Anatoly was 12 years old when his father, a former FSB spy, was killed by Russian operatives using radioactive Polonium-210. Now 32, he told The Times he clung to hopes his father would survive.
Father's final days and predictions
Alexander Litvinenko died on November 23, 2006, aged 44, at University College Hospital in London. He had become a prominent critic of Putin and coined the phrase "mafia state" to describe the Russian leader's rule.
Anatoly recalled: "I still believed he would recover even while he was hooked up to the critical life support machines. I refused to accept the alternative."
Impact of the assassination
A High Court judge ruled Litvinenko's death was a state-sponsored assassination by two former KGB agents who poisoned him with tea laced with polonium in Mayfair, meaning it was ordered by Putin.
Anatoly said: "I was stunned. It hit me like a punch in the face. I could not process it. I did not cry and was devoid of emotion. I could not understand it." He added that he read a school newsletter article repeatedly, "probably 90 times," but only looked at the letters.
Father's final letter
Two days before his death, Litvinenko dictated a letter read out by his friend Alex Goldfarb on the steps of University College Hospital. In it, he addressed Putin directly, saying: "You may succeed in silencing me but that silence comes at a price. You have shown yourself to be as barbaric and ruthless as your most hostile critics have claimed."
Anatoly said: "I take great pride in my father's work and bravery by standing up to Putin. He was extremely courageous. His warning about Putin is unfortunately more appropriate now than ever before."
