Marina Litvinenko, the widow of poisoned ex-FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko, has voiced a strong stance against recognizing the outcomes of Russia’s upcoming presidential elections, deeming them as mere formalities that will reinstall Vladimir Putin in power.
She argued that Western acknowledgment of these so-called elections only serves to legitimize Putin’s reign, disregarding the absence of genuine democratic choice in Russia.
Litvinenko emphasized the necessity for the West to reject these results, portraying such stance as crucial support for Russians who are coerced into voting without real alternatives.
She further highlighted that while similar actions in Belarus did not trigger immediate change, the principle of standing with those oppressed remains critical.
Referencing her personal tragedy, where her husband was murdered with a radioactive substance, Litvinenko connected current events, such as the death of oppositionist Alexei Navalny to a broader pattern of Russian authorities silencing opposition.
“The death of Alexei Navalny is not a tragedy of just one person or one family, it is a tragedy of all the people who, while in Russia, believed that one day something might change,” she noted.
Alexander Litvinenko was a KGB and then FSB agent who fled to the U.K. in 2000 where he obtained his citizenship six years later. He accused Putin of, among other things, ordering the blowing up of four apartment buildings in Russia in September 1999, which became the pretext for starting a second war in Chechnya, and of ordering the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
On November 1, 2006, Litvinenko became unwell. As it later turned out, the reason was the presence of radioactive polonium-210 in his body. He died on November 23 of the same year.
British investigators had already named former KGB and Federal Protection Service agent Andrei Lugovoi as the prime suspect in the case in 2007. A report published by the British Interior Ministry in early 2016 concluded that Litvinenko’s murder was likely carried out by the FSB with the approval of Putin and then-FSB director Nikolai Patrushev.
Litvinenko emphasized the necessity for the West to reject these results, portraying such stance as crucial support for Russians who are coerced into voting without real alternatives.
She further highlighted that while similar actions in Belarus did not trigger immediate change, the principle of standing with those oppressed remains critical.
Referencing her personal tragedy, where her husband was murdered with a radioactive substance, Litvinenko connected current events, such as the death of oppositionist Alexei Navalny to a broader pattern of Russian authorities silencing opposition.
“The death of Alexei Navalny is not a tragedy of just one person or one family, it is a tragedy of all the people who, while in Russia, believed that one day something might change,” she noted.
Russia’s presidential election is scheduled to be held between March 15 and 17. Litvinenko’s deathTo bring the murder of #AlexeiNavalny to justice is absolutely impossible. The only way to send a message to Russia is by not recognising the incumbent elections and not calling Putin President>>#MarinaLitvinenko widow of Alexander at our #FPAexclusive briefing.#yulianavalnaya pic.twitter.com/8ZHkJnGl8N
— Foreign Press Association in London (@FPALondon) March 1, 2024
Alexander Litvinenko was a KGB and then FSB agent who fled to the U.K. in 2000 where he obtained his citizenship six years later. He accused Putin of, among other things, ordering the blowing up of four apartment buildings in Russia in September 1999, which became the pretext for starting a second war in Chechnya, and of ordering the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
On November 1, 2006, Litvinenko became unwell. As it later turned out, the reason was the presence of radioactive polonium-210 in his body. He died on November 23 of the same year.
British investigators had already named former KGB and Federal Protection Service agent Andrei Lugovoi as the prime suspect in the case in 2007. A report published by the British Interior Ministry in early 2016 concluded that Litvinenko’s murder was likely carried out by the FSB with the approval of Putin and then-FSB director Nikolai Patrushev.
Source:
More In Politics MORE...
