Passport

Litvinenko murder suspect to crash Britain’s soccer party

NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP/Getty Images Tonight, thousands of British fans will pack Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium for the finals of the Champions League soccer tournament. This year, the finals are an all-British affair played between Manchester United and Chelsea. But the most interesting drama may be in the stands. Andrei Lugovoi, Scotland Yard’s prime suspect in the London ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.
594947_080521_lugovoi_776138392.jpg
594947_080521_lugovoi_776138392.jpg

NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP/Getty Images

NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP/Getty Images

Tonight, thousands of British fans will pack Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium for the finals of the Champions League soccer tournament. This year, the finals are an all-British affair played between Manchester United and Chelsea. But the most interesting drama may be in the stands.

Andrei Lugovoi, Scotland Yard’s prime suspect in the London murder of ex-FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko in 2006, has also scored tickets to the game and will be watching from the VIP section. Not only has Russia refused to extradite Lugovoi for trial in the UK, he was elected to parliament last December. Lugovoi’s status has been a major sore spot for British-Russian relations and his presence at the game should be a humiliating reminder of Britain’s powerlessness in the case.

The Guardian‘s Luke Harding also has a great interview with Lugovoi today in which the ex-KGB man denies involvement in Litvinenko’s poisoning but doesn’t seem all that broken up about it.

Joshua Keating is a former associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

Read More On Europe | Russia | Sports | Strategic Intelligence

Latest

Negotiators Race to Extend Israel-Hamas Truce

Looks Like ‘Axis of Evil’ Is Back on the Menu

Will U.S. Revelation of Plot to Kill Sikh Activist Strain Ties With India?

Bukele’s Bitcoin Mess and the U.S.-Backed Bank That Enabled It

Britain’s Navy Is Diminished. Its Ambitions Are Not.
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    Looks Like ‘Axis of Evil’ Is Back on the Menu
  2. 2
    What Was Hamas Thinking?
  3. 3
    Why Gaza Won’t End Up Like East Timor or Kosovo
  4. 4
    Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
  5. 5
    How Centrists Helped Geert Wilders Win the Dutch Election
  6. 6
    Will U.S. Revelation of Plot to Kill Sikh Activist Strain Ties With India?

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.

Trending

  1. Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
    Argument
    Annie Sparrow

  2. Will U.S. Revelation of Plot to Kill Sikh Activist Strain Ties With India?
    Analysis
    Sumit Ganguly

  3. Looks Like ‘Axis of Evil’ Is Back on the Menu
    Report
    Robbie Gramer

  4. Bukele’s Bitcoin Mess and the U.S.-Backed Bank That Enabled It
    Deep Dive
    Danielle Mackey

  5. Why Gaza Won’t End Up Like East Timor or Kosovo
    Argument
    Marc Weller