171. The Murder of Litvinenko: Killed in Plain Sight (Ep 3)

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

The Rest Is Classified – Ep 171: The Murder of Litvinenko: Killed in Plain Sight (Ep 3)
Date: June 28, 2026
Hosts: David McCloskey, Gordon Corera

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Overview

In this gripping episode, David McCloskey and Gordon Corera continue their deep exploration of the chilling case of Alexander Litvinenko: a former FSB officer who became an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, traversed the world of business intelligence in London, and ultimately fell victim to a brazen assassination in 2006. The hosts reconstruct the escalating plot against Litvinenko, investigating the details of the days leading up to his murder, the operational missteps of his Russian assassins, and the shadowy world of Russian state-sponsored retaliation against perceived enemies.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Escalating Threats and Litvinenko’s Provocations

• Continuous Pressure from Moscow: Litvinenko receives repeated threats and warnings, some filtered through intermediaries, urging his return to Russia and cautioning about his safety ([03:41]).
• FSB’s Hatred: Litvinenko’s image was used for target practice by Russian Special Forces, highlighting the extreme animosity toward him.
• Inflammatory Behavior:
  • In July 2006, Litvinenko publishes a provocative article accusing Putin of being a pedophile, referencing a public incident as (uncorroborated) evidence ([05:45]–[06:07]).
  • Discusses his pattern of outlandish conspiracy theories (e.g., blaming the FSB for the 7/7 London bombings), raising questions about his credibility ([05:45]).
  • Quote:
    • David McCloskey: “Well, Litvinenko is prone to conspiracy theories and conspiracy thinking... I mean, does it discredit him more broadly, these kind of wild claims?” ([05:45])
    • Gordon Corera: “I don't know if it discredits him, but it's nuts, you know, to claim publicly that Putin's a pedophile.” ([06:07])

Russian State’s Legal Preconditions for Murder

• Legislation Change in Russia: Two new laws in 2006 allow the Russian government to pursue enemies of the state abroad, nominally under anti-terrorism and extremism justifications ([06:14]).
• London as a Target: Dissidents and critics in the UK, particularly those targeting Russian actions in Chechnya, are now at greater risk.
• Quote:
  • Gordon Corera: “The stage is set for any critic of Putin's regime here, especially meaning London... to have an appointment with a poison tipped umbrella.” ([07:29])

Personal Milestones & Tragedy

• Murder of Anna Politkovskaya: Early October 2006, prominent Russian journalist—friend of Litvinenko—shot dead outside her Moscow home, deeply affecting Litvinenko ([08:14]–[09:24]).
• UK Citizenship Granted: Litvinenko and his family are naturalized British citizens, prompting a bittersweet sense of relief and a tragic false sense of security ([09:24]–[09:54]).
• Quote:
  • Gordon Corera: “He says to one, ‘I just received my citizenship. Now they will not be able to touch me.’ ...the tragedy is... he actually only has weeks left to live.” ([09:54])

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The Assassins’ First Trips – Clumsy Spies in London

(Oct 16-18, 2006) Lugovoy and Kovtun Arrive

• Suspicious Entry: A UK policeman feels uneasy about Lugovoy and Kovtun at Gatwick, but they pass with a plausible cover ([11:03]).
• Initial Assassination Attempt:
  • Meeting in a business boardroom where they attempt to poison Litvinenko’s drink—Litvinenko doesn’t sip, the plot fails ([11:03]).
• The Mobster Lifestyle:
  • The duo spends time dining extravagantly (oysters, lobster in Mayfair), drinking, purchasing a shisha pipe—mirroring Russian mob stereotypes ([13:31]).
• Odd Hotel Switch:
  • Leave their first hotel unexpectedly (after likely handling poison in the room), possibly to avoid contamination ([14:29]).
• Continuing Failures:
  • At bars and restaurants, they keep trying to encourage Litvinenko to drink, but he stays cautious. Their behavior is marked by more leisure than professional intent ([15:45]–[16:41]).
  • Memorable line:
    • David McCloskey: “Just to sum it up... gentlemen's clubs, drinking, eating out and attempted murder.” ([18:23])

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Further Attempts – Mishaps & Poison on the Loose

(Late October 2006) Another Attempt and Poison Mishap

• Solo Return and Fumbled Poison:
  • Lugovoy flies back alone, books his flights and hotel last-minute—hinting at an urgent, not pre-planned mission ([18:47]).
  • Spills poison in his hotel bathroom, aborts the attempt with no evidence left in Litvinenko’s drink ([19:18]–[20:39]).
  • Quote:
    • David McCloskey: “It just feels insane to me that the most valuable thing you've brought with you on the trip, you're like. It's like Inspector Cluzo... you just spill the thing in the bathroom.” ([20:39])
  • The hosts note the blend of “clownishness and danger” in the assassins’ operations ([20:52]).

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The Final, Fatal Setup

(Oct 31–Nov 1, 2006) The Murder Plot Takes Full Shape

• Football as Cover:
  • Lugovoy brings family and friends for an Arsenal vs CSKA Moscow match; Kovtun is added last minute after the previous mishap ([23:42]–[25:02]).
• Hamburg Interlude—An Outrageous Leak:
  • While in Hamburg, Kovtun openly tells a former colleague about the plan to poison Litvinenko and asks for a contact in London to help. The friend dismisses it as crazy talk, but reports it later ([26:55]–[28:47]).
  • Direct quote (from Kovtun to friend):
    • “Litvinenko was a traitor. There is blood on his hands... I have a very expensive poison and need the cook to administer it to Litvinenko.” ([26:55])
    • Kovtun: “After that, it is meant to set an example.” ([27:28])
  • Hosts’ Reaction:
    • “It doesn't take a former CIA officer to tell me that that is bad tradecraft... telling random former waiters about your plot to assassinate someone with a very expensive poison.” ([29:18])

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The Day of Murder: November 1, 2006

From Meetings to Murder

• Careful Coordination:
  • Lugovoy gets family out of the way with a sightseeing tour ([30:57]).
  • They try to recruit an Albanian chef to help poison Litvinenko, but he’s unavailable ([31:02]).
• Warning Before Death:
  • Litvinenko meets Italian contact Mario Scaramella at Itsu, who hands over documents and warns that Litvinenko is on a Russian hit list; assassination methods discussed include gunshots and “radioactive thallium” ([33:54]).
• Final Meeting in the Pine Bar:
  • Litvinenko is called for an expedited meeting at the Millennium Hotel. CCTV catches the Russian suspects entering the bathrooms (presumably to prepare the poison) before meeting Litvinenko ([33:54]–[34:22]).
  • The three meet at the Pine Bar (which notably lacks CCTV coverage), where Lugovoy orders a large pot of green tea—Litvinenko’s favorite ([34:43]).
  • Litvinenko pours half a cup, takes three or four sips (doesn’t like it because it’s cold and lacks sugar) ([36:44]).
  • Hosts speculate: had he drunk more, death may have been swifter and more mysterious ([37:02]).
• Macabre Irony:
  • Lugovoy’s wife and children enter, and he introduces his 8-year-old son to Litvinenko minutes after poisoning him ([38:38]).
  • Quote:
    • David McCloskey: “I probably wouldn't have asked my 8 year old son to shake the hand of the guy I just poisoned with an exceptionally powerful and radioactive poison... it suggests that Kovtun and Lugovoy maybe don't understand what sort of poison they've been given.” ([38:38])
• Post-Meeting:
  • Litvinenko visits Berezovsky’s office, then returns home, unknowingly a “dead man walking” as the effects of polonium-210 begin their fatal course ([39:04]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He's becoming more obsessive, more antagonistic... drawn to trying to wake people up to Putin and to the FSB and making pretty, you know, pretty outrageous claims to try and do that.”
  — Gordon Corera ([06:14])
• “Just to sum it up, what they have done over this three day run is gentlemen's clubs, drinking, eating out and attempted murder. And then... they go home hungover to Moscow... What a trip.”
  — David McCloskey ([18:23])
• “I need this cook to put poison in Litvinenko's food or drink... The poison is very expensive.”
  — Kovtun (recounted by former colleague, read by McCloskey) ([27:28])
• “It doesn't take a former CIA officer to tell me that that is bad tradecraft.”
  — Gordon Corera ([29:18])
• “I would not have probably... asked my 8 year old son to shake the hand of the guy I just poisoned...”
  — David McCloskey ([38:38])
• “He doesn't know it, but he's now a dead man walking.”
  — Gordon Corera ([39:04])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:41 — Escalating threats from Russia; Litvinenko targeted as traitor
• 05:45 — Litvinenko’s conspiracy theories and credibility
• 06:14 — Outrageous provocations: the Putin article
• 07:29 — Russian laws enabling international retribution
• 08:14 — Murder of Anna Politkovskaya; emotional impact
• 09:24 — Litvinenko gets UK citizenship, false sense of safety
• 11:03 — Assassins arrive in London, details of early attempts
• 14:29 — Odd hotel switch after contamination
• 18:23 — Summary of assassins’ hedonistic trip with failed murder attempt
• 19:18 — Poison spill: assassination bungled
• 25:02 — Football match trip, Kovtun added last minute
• 26:55 — Kovtun reveals the murder plot to a Hamburg acquaintance
• 29:18 — “Bad tradecraft” and the ineptitude of Russian agents
• 31:02 — Day of the murder, failed plan involving Albanian chef
• 33:54 — Litvinenko warned by Scaramella of hit list and radioactive poison
• 34:22 — Millennium Hotel: the poisoned teapot
• 36:44 — The fatal cup, crucial details of murder
• 38:38 — Lugovoy’s son shakes Litvinenko’s hand post-poisoning
• 39:04 — Aftermath: “dead man walking”

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Tone & Language

The hosts balance dark humor and sharp observation with forensic attention to both spycraft and personal tragedy. Their interplay provides both gravitas and moments of levity, encapsulating the absurdity and horror of the case—highlighting the clumsy, even comic, behavior of the assassins against the very real, deadly backdrop of Russian state action.

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Next Episode Tease

The show will next examine the agonizing and drawn-out death of Litvinenko, and what it reveals about the nature of Putin’s regime, including interviews with investigators who pursued the case ([40:57]).

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This summary is intended as a stand-alone, comprehensive guide for listeners and non-listeners alike, capturing the full scope, context, and emotional nuance of Episode 171 of The Rest Is Classified podcast.

Transcript

[David McCloskey]

For exclusive interviews, bonus episodes, ad free listening, early access to series first look at live show tickets, a weekly newsletter and discounted books. Join the declassified [e-mail]. Russian assassins are closing in on Alexander Litvinenko. But who will deal the fatal blow? Well, welcome to the Rest is classified. I'm David McCloskey.

[Gordon Carrera]

And I'm Gordon Carrera.

[David McCloskey]

And we are in the third episode of this series examining Alexander Litvinenko, former Russian FSB security service officer who is in London and is causing some problems for Putin and the people around him. We spent a lot of the last time talking about Litvinenko's work in due diligence, examining Russian oligarchs officials for firms in the uk, how that put him in conflict with some Putin allies and sabotaged a business deal that cost Putin allies money. We looked at Litvinenko's work as a consultant slash access agent for MI6 and we're now approaching October 2006 in in what will become the last, last several weeks of Alexander Litvidenko's life.

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[Gordon Carrera]

Last time we did look at a lot of the reasons why the Russian state had it in for him. But what's interesting is once you get to this point, the intensity really starts to build of these different strands coming together. He's getting repeated messages and phone calls from Russia, sometimes pass through intermediaries threatening him, telling him to come back, you know, warning him he's not safe. We talked about how the FSB views him as a traitor back to that famous press conference he gives. I mean, they even use pictures of Litvinenko for target practice at a Special Forces training center. I find that really interesting. It does suggest he was pretty well known within the Russian security establishment as a hate figure if they're using his picture. So you've got this sense of, you know, animosity. He's becoming more vocal in his attacks on Putin under Berezovsky's patronage. Berezovsky is getting more involved in plotting Putin's overthrow. There's lots of plotting going on around him of which he's part of. There's also little things which could also act as triggers. We talked a bit about the personal antagonism that Litvinenko has with Putin, going back to that meeting in the FSB. Then, in July 2006, Litvinenko publishes this article on the Chechen Press website. In fact, he's writing for. That tells you something as well. It's a really strange article. It couldn't have been more inflammatory or designed to antagonize Putin because it accuses President Putin of being a pedophile. I mean, it uses an incident where Putin kisses the stomach of a small boy publicly. You know, as he's kind of walking around and doing stuff and claims that. That, you know, this is a sign that he's a paedophile and this has been covered up. I mean, there is no evidence actually to support this. There is no basis for it. It's a really incendiary claim to make. I think it's kind of suggests he's. He's. He's moving in perhaps more. You know, he's always been quite obsessive, but he's becoming even more inflammatory in some ways.

[David McCloskey]

Well, Litvinenko is is prone to conspiracy theories and conspiracy thinking. I mean, at one point he had actually tried to blame the 77 bombings in 2005, which occurred at London on the FSB. It made me wonder if he's, I mean, does it discredit him more broadly, these kind of wild claims?

[Gordon Carrera]

I don't know if it discredits him,

[David McCloskey]

but it's, it's nuts, you know, to claim publicly that Putin's a pedophile.

[Gordon Carrera]

Yeah, he's becoming more obsessive, more antagonistic. I think he's drawn to trying to wake people up to Putin and to the FSB and making pretty, you know, pretty outrageous claims to try and do that. Then of course, there's the due diligence work. We talked about the business deal. So there's, you know, and the work he's potentially doing with MI6, trying to tap up Lugovoy, his business partner, and due diligence to work for MI6. Lugovoy has told the FSB. And at the same time, it's worth saying Russia is also changing. It's becoming more aggressive. Two big new laws get passed in Russia in 2006, in March and July. Now, ostensibly they're about counterterrorism and extremism, and one particularly follows the killing of five Russian diplomats by a Chechen supporting terrorist group in Iraq. And their laws allow Russia to go after terrorists and extremists anywhere around the world. Now, the issue, of course is who do you interpret, who you deal with?

[David McCloskey]

Who's a terrorist?

[Gordon Carrera]

Yeah, exactly.

[David McCloskey]

You know, I got seen from Russia a former FSB officer who's claiming that Putin's a pedophile and who's also working for MI6 and, you know, cratering business deals for your buddies.

[Gordon Carrera]

He's an extremist.

[David McCloskey]

He'd fit in that category if you're Putin.

[Gordon Carrera]

Yeah. So in July 2006, after the second law is passed, the Times newspaper in London publishes a letter written by Vladimir Bukowski, who's a dissident, talked about him earlier, and Ola Gordievsky, friend of the show, former KGB officer. And it's ahead of a meeting in St. Petersburg of the G8 where Putin's going to be there along with Western leaders. And, you know, these two Russian exiles say the stage is set for any critic of Putin's regime here, especially meaning London, especially those campaigning against Russian genocide, as they put it in Chechnya, to have an appointment with a poison tipped umbrella. So these are people warning, we know about poison tipped umbrellas, don't we, David? Well, not personally.

[David McCloskey]

Not personally, no, not personally, yes. Yes.

[Gordon Carrera]

Well.

[David McCloskey]

And what year was that?

[Gordon Carrera]

Late 70s, 78. Yeah, but this idea that Russians, you know, are capable of killing people is a warning there. And Marina says he, Alexander Litvinenko, viewed these laws as a personal threat. So you can see that Litvinenko is becoming more aggressive doing more things, and Russia's becoming more aggressive in its response. So now, as we get to October, as the net is closing around him, and we're going to really dive quite deep into those final weeks, the first thing that happens is one of his own friends is killed. Anna Politzkovkaya was a crusading Russian journalist on the Novo Gazeta newspaper, which is an independent newspaper. Big critic of Putin. She'd investigated FSB human rights abuses in Chechnya. She's a friend of Litvinenko, visits him in London. She is shot by gunmen outside her Moscow apartment, 7th of October, 2006. This really was a. I mean, it was a big deal, I think, for us journalists as well, at the time, because she was a kind of prominent campaigner, you know, investigator, and just shot. And, you know, Litvinenko breaks down when he hears the news, and he will believe Putin is responsible.

[David McCloskey]

Well, October of 2006 is also a big month for Litvinenko because he's granted UK citizenship at a ceremony on 13 October. You know, I think that when he came to London, I mean, he took his son to the tower and basically said, this country took you in. And, you know, never forget, never forget that the UK has saved us. He's flying an English flag from his home's balcony during the World cup that summer.

[Gordon Carrera]

He's got British citizenship. It makes him very happy. Marina says he's very proud to be British, proud for his son to be British. And this was his future. Now, after the citizenship ceremony, I mean, he gives you a sense of the intensity of these days, just gets his citizenship. Then he goes to a memorial event in Westminster for Poliskovkaya, the journalist, and he takes his son Anatoly along. And he sees these other dissidents there, his old friends, and he says to one, I just received my citizenship. Now they will not be able to touch me. And to Bukowski, he says, it makes me more secure, doesn't it? It protects me. And Bukowski answers, I have to smile and say, well, not much, not really. I mean, the tragedy is he's, you know, he's just got his citizenship, but he actually only has weeks left to live.

[David McCloskey]

And just three days later, just three days after that his assassins will arrive on the first of what will become several trips. So I guess worth at this point going back to Kovtun and Lugovoy, who arrive in London on the 16th of October. So just, just a few days after Litvinenko has been made a. A UK citizen.

[Gordon Carrera]

Yeah. And it's Kovtun's first time in London. Lugovoy's been there for these business meetings before. They fly from Moscow to Gatwick Airport, just south of London, arrive 10.48am A policeman, interestingly enough, a policeman thinks they look suspicious and actually questions them and remembers them being evasive. But they give a phone number for business meetings they've got, which checks out. So he does, you know, this police officer. It's kind of impressive in a way that he just thinks they're suspicious and they're eventually allowed to go in. There's not much you can do. They're going to stay at the Best Western in Shaftesbury Avenue. £300 a night back in 2006. I mean, not cheap London hotels, but the details, I mean, we, we have really granular detail about this. I think it's really worth going into it because it gives a sense of what's going on and the details, the mechanics of the plot. They change into some business clothes on arrival at the hotel, which the staff think look very Russian. Shiny suits and big chunky jewellery. I think they look like the Russian mob, basically. Then that afternoon they meet Litvinenko and one of these business due diligence contacts at the boardroom. They're discussing the possible deal with Gazprom. The room's not very big. We room for about six chairs or so, tea and coffee on the table. Lugovoy suggests Litvinenko and others have a drink. Seems quite insistent and we will come back later to evidence. The police will find that the Russians did try and poison Litvinenko at this meeting, at this moment. But the problem is he doesn't drink anything. So it's the first attempt and it's a miss after that. Three Russians go to Itsu. Ever been to Itsu sushi place? It's like a chain sushi place from Piccadilly. And this is also. This particular Itzu sushi place is going to be an important scene for the investigation. So it's worth remembering that Litvinenko then goes home. Marina had prepared spicy chicken soup for dinner. Litvinenko liked hot food and he ate the soup with some hot peppers. But then sometime after the meal, he starts to feel A little bit ill, and he vomits, throws up his food, but just once. And Marina will say, continue to feel a little bit unwell for the next two days, but not that bad. So, you know, bit of an upset stomach. Lugovo and Kovtun, though, go out for dinner. Fancy place in Mayfair. Oysters, grilled lobster, and tuna steaks.

[David McCloskey]

This is Claridge's, Gordon. Did they go to Claridge's?

[Gordon Carrera]

I don't think they're quite in your category, David. They're not quite as.

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[David McCloskey]

No, no, no, don't. Don't try to besmirch me in this way. You and I, one of. One of our. Well, our first breakfast meeting. London, Gordon. Our first meeting at London.

[Gordon Carrera]

Before even the podcast, Long before the podcast.

[David McCloskey]

Long before the. When the podcast was just a. A twinkle in goal Hanger's collective eye of Sauron Eye. That's right. We had. We had breakfast at Claridge's.

[Gordon Carrera]

My usual table at Claridge. It's where I had breakfast most mornings.

[David McCloskey]

Yeah.

[Gordon Carrera]

Mr. Carrera again.

[David McCloskey]

Mr. Carrera is here. Here to do business at Claridge's, but. So Lugovoy and coffee. We don't. What's. What fans. Where do they go in Mayfair? Do we die?

[Gordon Carrera]

I'm not sure. I could probably find the name of the restaurant. It's a fancy place. Oysters, grilled lobster and tuna steaks. Pretty good. Then they go to a bar and they buy a shisha pipe at a bar. It's another kind of Russian mobster thing to do. No offense to anyone out there who has shisha pipes.

[David McCloskey]

No offense to the Russian mobsters who obviously listen to the rest of the.

[Gordon Carrera]

No, I meant the general listeners who might have one of those. So that's that day. Their first day. Their next day, Tuesday 17th. This is it. This is where it also gets interesting when you get to the detail. The detail's so interesting because Lugamoy and Coftoon move from the Best Western Hotel to the Parkes Hotel in Knightsbridge for the second of their two nights. Now, this is even though they booked for two nights at the first hotel, and they've paid for it and they don't ask for a refund. Hmm. And this will later be thought to be because they'd contaminated the room with a poison. They'd potentially poured it down the sink, and they were like, I don't think we want to stay here for another night. And so that looks to be why they suddenly move. So here they are, new. New hotel. They Meet a businessman who they're doing some work for. They meet Litvinenko again at the offices of Risk, one of the due diligence firms. They're working on this vodka case. Then the three of them go back to the Parks Hotel, where the two visitors are staying. Go to dinner at a Chinese restaurant named the Golden Dragon. Say, I've got one restaurant name in. Never been. I don't know if I've been there in Gerrard Street. I don't know if they're one of our sponsors, but anyways.

[David McCloskey]

Well, after this podcast, definitely not. Definitely not.

[Gary Lineker]

Definitely not.

[Gordon Carrera]

They would get sponsorship from ITSU either. They then go to Cafe Bohem, a bar in Soho. Litvinenko here says he only drinks green tea and a glass of Coke at the restaurant, but he says the other two have been drinking. He been offered some, but he refuses. Goes into a bar, doesn't like it. He's home by 11.

[David McCloskey]

But Feneko sounds like he's not a very. I have a lot of fun with these guys.

[Gordon Carrera]

I think what's happening is. And we'll come back to these guys. These guys are like, we're in London from Moscow. It's party time and living. His wife's at home, his son's at home. He's a family man. It's like, I don't want to do this. I've got to do a bit of it with the business guys. You know, I mean, we all know those business meetings where someone is out for a good time, but. And you're like, I just want to go home to bed.

[David McCloskey]

It's time to go home. I mean, it also sounds like Cov dun at Lugovoy, as we've gone through their itinerary, they haven't been working very hard, let's be honest. I mean, they've mostly been drinking and eating out. Yeah.

[Gordon Carrera]

And this is the next detail is great because Lugovoy, earlier in the day, had asked at this hotel reception for a recommendation for a place where he and Covtun could meet girls. Now, the receptionist suggests a place across the road which was a brothel. I think the receptionist knows exactly what these two Russians are after. And also, and this is one of those details which is just nuts, a particular Italian pizza restaurant where the receptionist says, you can have pizza with extras. And I don't know, but when I. When I'm asking for extras on my pizza, it's anchovies normally, or maybe olives.

[David McCloskey]

You're not normally led to a back room of the pizza shop, but this is an Italian pizza restaurant that is also with extras. A brothel.

[Gordon Carrera]

Yeah. But then instead they don't go to that place because Lugovoy and Cobtu now go to a bar called hey Joe which I think is what is called a gentleman's club. David. A gentleman's club?

[David McCloskey]

Is that what you call them in the uk?

[Gordon Carrera]

Yeah, but not the gentleman's club of like, you know, the reformed travelers. Yeah, not that this is a particular type of gentleman's club which I, I learned reading, you know, the, the reports into this had mirrors, dance floors and cubicles and supposedly this detail, I should say comes from Luke Harding's book, A Very Expensive Poison because I've never been to hey Joe's just, just to clarify that, because hey Joe's also included a bronze phallus somewhere and a penis shaped tap in the bathroom. This is a different world from our, our normal world. But these guys, they go to hey Joe's and they get back to the hotel at 3am, 10am the next morning they check out and head back to us.

[David McCloskey]

What a business trip they've had. What a business trip. I mean these guys, I just, just to sum it up, what they have done over this three day run is gentlemen's clubs, drinking, eating out and attempted murder. And then, and, and then they go home hungover to Boscow after sleeping for, you know, three hours. I mean, what a trip, what a trip.

[Gordon Carrera]

And not the last trip they will take because Lugovoy is going to return just a week later on a BA flight this time, but just alone, without Covtun. And he books for flights and hotels only the day before. So this is interesting because this isn't clearly a pre planned business trip. He's doing it in a hurry, perhaps one could surmise because they didn't manage to achieve what they really wanted to achieve on the first business trip. So he's going to book into room 848 of the Sheraton Hotel. He meets a Georgian businessman in Surrey who is a friend of Berezovsky and who'd co run the TV channel where he worked. As a footnote, this Georgian businessman, Badri Patakatishvili, is found dead later in 2008. Maybe heart attack, maybe not, who knows. But another one of those, if you're keeping count, another one of those people we meet who ends up dead. Logovo also sees Berezovsky during this trip. Fact, he sees Berezovsky in person. I think it's interesting, suggests, you know, they're still close Goes shopping, has some business meeting, meets Litvinenko at his hotel bar. Early evening of the 27th. Litvinenko drinks tea, Lugovoy, red wine. They discuss the plan for Lugovoy to come with Litvinenko to Spain in November to do this work on, you know, the Russian mafia in Spain, you know, and bring down the Russian mafia. It's all kind of interesting. Now, here's what's interesting at this point. There's no sign, no evidence that Lugovoy tried to poison Litvinenko when they're drinking together. And the reason, and we'll come back to the evidence for this later, because it looks like something's gone wrong for Lugovoy. It looks like he may have spilled the poison he's using in the bathroom and at the hotel in which he's staying. We'll come back to the future how he does it. And so it means it's another fail. You know, the trip is over. He's got to go back to Moscow having failed to do it, it's going to need to come back again.

[David McCloskey]

Well, we'll come back to this poison spill. Like, I just. It just feels insane to me that the most valuable thing you've brought with you on the trip, you're like. It's like Inspector Cluzo, like, what? You just spill the thing in the bathroom. It's remarkable. It's remarkable.

[Gordon Carrera]

And I find it interesting with Ligavor and Coffeetoon because there's an element of clownishness and, you know, with their, you know, phallus clubs, gentlemen's clubs and, you know, and spilling poison. And yet, as we'll see, the guy's a killer. I mean, allegedly. Allegedly.

[Ad Voice 3]

Okay.

[Gordon Carrera]

Allegedly. Sorry.

[David McCloskey]

Good job, Gordon.

[Gordon Carrera]

Yeah, yeah, that covered me legally. But, you know, that's the thing. It's this weird mix, and I think you often see it with these Russian cases to, don't you, where they're both kind of clownish. We'll say it again with the, you know, other poisonings in the future and dangerous. And that's these guys. So two attempts, kind of attempts, one more still to come. So there. Let's take a break and when we come back, we'll look at the crucial day that leads to Alexander Litvinenko's death.

[Gary Lineker]

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[David McCloskey]

Welcome back. It's 31st October 2006 and Lugovoy has returned to London with his wife, two daughters, an eight year old son in tow as well as a few friends. For what else, Gordon, but a football match and this is Arsenal versus CSKA Moscow. Is that right?

[Gordon Carrera]

Yeah. You're a big fan of the Arsenal.

[David McCloskey]

No. There have been Laden's team though, right?

[Gary Lineker]

They are.

[Gordon Carrera]

And Keir Starmer.

[David McCloskey]

And Keir Starmer, yeah.

[Gordon Carrera]

Lugovoy is also. Well, he's a CSKA Moscow fan.

[David McCloskey]

He's not an Arsenal fan.

[Gordon Carrera]

He's not with Bin Laden and Keir Starmer in the stands.

[David McCloskey]

That's right.

[Gordon Carrera]

Now this is interesting I think because he's here with his family. He's here with his daughters, his son, also some friends and they planned this holiday. But at the very last minute, cobtoon is added to the trip. The very last minute, the decision to Bring Coffin is taken midway during Lugovoy's previous stay when he's at this hotel where he spills the poison. Hmm. Now, does that seem suspicious to you? I mean, you know, halfway through a trip in which you may have spilled some poison, you go, you know, I might need you to come for the next trip. You know, I'm coming next week. Come along. I mean, you can see when you look at it in hindsight what's going on there, can't you?

[David McCloskey]

You can. There's also. This is making me think that there is a set of interactions that we're not going to be able to talk about because I don't think anyone has ever unearthed any evidence around them, which is the interaction between Lugovoy and Kovtun and the supplier of the poison back in Russia, who is probably like these guys, spilling the poison. They keep coming back. We have a failed attempt. I wonder what Lugovoy told them had happened on the trip where he had spilled the poison, because I'm going to guess he didn't admit to spilling the poison.

[Gordon Carrera]

No, I agree.

[David McCloskey]

In the, in the bathroom. I would like to see that, see that interaction, though, wonder how that went down.

[Gordon Carrera]

So I think, you know, the likelihood is he spilled it on the second trip and he now realizes this social trip with his family is going to have to be another murder attempt. And it'll help to have costume coming along. Coftoon comes up with all kinds of weird stories that he's coming to London by chance or that there's a business meeting. It's very confusing, but, you know, the assumption is that he's been asked. Now this is where it gets also very interesting with Koftun, because what's he been doing? And this is, you know, another wild bit of the story. Coftoon has been in Hamburg and he flew there on October 26th. And something very interesting happens here. According to German police who investigate it later, Coftoon is there to see his ex wife and kids. But during it we talked about, he used to work at this restaurant, this place called Il Porto. And one of the people he worked with as a waiter at Il Porto in the mid-90s, which is in the harbour area of Hamburg. He gets in touch with them. They'd kept in touch after they both left. They meet up to play chess. Interesting enough, have a beer. Covetoon telephones him on Monday, October 30, and asks if they could meet. They go for a walk after eating. And I mean, this is, this is wild. Do you want to read this bit?

[David McCloskey]

Yeah, sure. This is from his friend who's recalling the meeting with Litvinenko in Hamburg. Dmitri asked whether I knew Litvinenko or had heard of him. I answered no. Dmitri said word for word, quote, litvinenko was a traitor. There is blood on his hands. I went on to say that Litvinenko does deals with Chechnya. And then he asked me whether I knew a cook who was working at London. And then he tells him a name which has been anonymized as C2. It's witness C2, who was a cook at Il Porto who had gone to England. And he goes on to say, I cannot remember the exact words. Dmitri said that he had. He had a very expensive poison and needed the cook to administer it to Litvinenko. I cannot remember whether Dimitri said he had the poison. I did not take seriously what Dimitri said. I thought it was just talk. And then the friend is later asked by German police to remember the exact details. And he's. And he says this Coftoon said, I need this cook to put poison in Litvinenko's food or drink. He also said, the poison is very expensive. As I have said already, I did not take him seriously. I said to him he was crazy. It would be much easier to shoot Litvinenko. I said jokingly, Copton said, after that, it is meant to set an example. I answered that he should stop this nonsense.

[Gordon Carrera]

I mean, COB2, we should say, will dispute this. And also the witness will not be willing to repeat it when asked to testify because they don't want to get involved in it for reasons you can kind of understand. But it's a wild conversation. I mean, you know, you're basically. I mean, you're basically giving away what you're trying to do there. You. And I mean, koftune. I mean, again, it's this kind of sense, slightly idiocy of Copton to just tell this other waiter.

[David McCloskey]

So Kaftun has told a. A friend. I mean, he's in contact with this guy, but it's a friend who's in Hamburg. So he's not like a super close associate. Coffin has basically said, there's a hit out on this guy. I'm in charge of the poison. Do you know someone in London who will help me administer it? Yeah, it's really from an operational security standpoint, an unwise. An unwise thing to do.

[Gordon Carrera]

It doesn't take a former CIA officer to tell me that that is bad tradecraft. You know, I think, like, that's bad Tradecraft, telling random former waiters about your plot to assassinate someone with a very expensive poison. And so he's given the name of this chef who's supposedly an Albanian, in London. Coftoon then heads straight from Hamburg to London. He gets an early flight, 6:30am he goes to the hotel to meet Lugovoy. Now, this hotel is interesting as well, because Lugovoy and his family are staying at this place called the Millennium Hotel, which is on one side of Grosvenor Square, just across from what was then the US Embassy. David, you must have been.

[David McCloskey]

I've stayed at the Millennium Hotel.

[Gordon Carrera]

Oh, have you?

[David McCloskey]

I have.

[Ad Voice 3]

Wow.

[David McCloskey]

Yes, Yes, I stayed there on a. A liaison trip to visit with British counterparts. It was. It was years, of course, later than this.

[Gordon Carrera]

Yeah. But, yeah, the embassy was just, just literally right there, stone's throw. Yeah. From where it used to be. Yeah, yeah. So, you know, all of this is happening and will happen, as we'll see in the shadow of the US Embassy. It's interesting. Lugovoy is going to call Litvinenko, trying to arrange a meeting. Kovatoon's arrived, he's got his own. He's not actually even got his own room. He's sharing with one of Lugovoy's friends, which again, is a bit weird.

[David McCloskey]

They're all there for the. For the, for the football match, right.

[Gordon Carrera]

And then suddenly Covetoon at the last minute has pitched up, so they're like, okay, you stay, you stay with this other guy. So now we come to the day, the crucial day. November 1, 2006. Lugovoy. Lugavoy books his family on the big bus sightseeing tour of London at 10:26am I mean, it's. Again, these details are just bizarre, aren't they? Got to get him out the way. I guess one way.

[David McCloskey]

Yeah, exactly. He needs an activity to put every. Get everyone out of his way for a few hours.

[Gordon Carrera]

He's going to meet Cobtoon, they're going to call Berezovsky, they're going to go to some business meetings in the morning. They're going to call the chef. So this Albanian chef who they, you know, El Porto Coptin has, you know, been connected to, but to see if he can meet up, but he's busy. He's out in Stratford, way out in East London. He's busy. They say, okay, we'll call you back. But this is interesting because already the plan of kind of getting the chef involved is falling apart because he's busy. And immediately after they call the chef, Lugovoy calls Litvinenko. It's close to midday. And Lugovoy will later claim that it was Litvinenko which called him. But the phone records show they're calling Litvinenko and it looks like they'd originally planned to meet the next day. But Lugovoy is asking to bring the meeting forward. Maybe it's, they've got no chef, you know, having a problem getting a chef, they're going to do it themselves. Litvinenko had been at home that day. He heads into town. First he meets a boss from one of the due diligence companies. But then he gets an unexpected call from our friend Mario Scaramella. Remember him from earlier on? So the guy who was working on the Italian Matrokhin commission, the consultant there, and Scaramella says he wants to meet urgently. Little bit suspicious, he wants to meet right now, that afternoon, today. So he and Litvinenko meet at Piccadilly Circus. And Scaramelli always likes a bit of a, you know, spy tradecraft. He's into, you know, he's one of those people. But he's much more nervous than usual, some might think suspiciously nervous. Let's eat, the Italian says. So they go to its place, the same Sushi Place, at 3pm for half an hour. Now, this meeting is fascinating because Scaramel is handing over some documents, but he's also passing on news he's had from a contact. And the news is that there is a hit list of people who are thought to be enemies of Russia who are going to be eliminated. And Scaramella's source has told him that the killings have already started. And Alla Polotskovkaya was one of those on the list. And of course, you know, we were talking about the fact she had been just killed a few weeks earlier. Scaramella says his name is on this hit list. Boris Berezovsky is on this hit list and so is Litvinenko. And Scaramella says some people might be shot and some people might be poisoned with radioactive thallium. Scaramello's been told. He is really worried and he's telling Litvinenko to warn him. I mean, it's a weird, interesting coincidence, but somehow word is getting around. But Litvinenko seems to think, well, you know, I'm always getting warnings, who knows?

[David McCloskey]

So right after this warning, what Litvinenko then does is he heads to meet the poisoners, Kovtun and Lugovoy, calling them to say he's, he's on the way Now Kovtun and Lugovoy have gotten back. They're back at their hotel. It's around 3pm At 3:30 there's CCTV footage of the two of them, of Copton Lugovoy going separately to the toilets by reception at the Millennium Hotel.

[Gordon Carrera]

And then at 4 o', clock, Litvinenko arrives. We're going to go into this in real detail because it's important. Lugeboy approaches Litvinenko in reception and says, we're meeting at the bar. And he takes him over to the Pine Bar, which is the kind of wood panel bar just next to reception. Don't know if you drank there, David, in your time. Maybe, maybe not.

[David McCloskey]

I don't remember it. I don't remember. Maybe by this point there was a warning to not go to the Pine Bar because of.

[Gordon Carrera]

Because of what happened.

[David McCloskey]

Washing out the pipes.

[Gordon Carrera]

One interesting fact is there are CCTV cameras everywhere in this hotel, all around reception. None in the Pine Bar. Pine Bar's crowded. There are two small tables pulled together in reception and Lugovoy guides Litvinenko to these tables. Now, Kovatoon is initially away on the phone. Litvinenko sits opposite Lugovoy, kind of diagonally opposite. Lugovoy had been there for a while already and had ordered drinks. And he'll end up racking up more than a 70 pound bill covering cigars and champagne cocktails. It's back to the fancy lifestyle.

[David McCloskey]

It's not Claridge's money, but it's, you know, it's not nothing to sniff at either. Don't you have. You have the receipt though, right?

[Gordon Carrera]

So the, the receipt for that table was three T's, three Gordon's Ginnan, three tonics to go with it, one champagne cocktail, one Romeo and Julietta cigar, a number 11 Gordon's gin. Looks like the total bill was £70 60. So they begin talking about a business meeting they're going to have the next day. Lugovoy's in a rush because he needs to get to the football with his family. Says he doesn't have long. A waiter comes over the table. Lugovoy says to Litvinenko, if you want to order something for yourself, then you can, but we're leaving soon. There's still some tea left here, though. And Lugovoy indicates a teapot which is already on the table. And there'd been an order for green tea with lemon and honey, which is Litvinenko's drink, basically. And the tea had been made in this large white Porcelain pot behind the bar, but it's always left to customers to pour out. Lugovoy doesn't seem to push Litvinenko to drink. It seems quite laid back about it, which is interesting, isn't it? He's not like going, have some tea, which I guess you wouldn't, would you?

[David McCloskey]

Well, and they've already kind of pushed some drinks on him in earlier visits, so they're, they're probably thinking, let's not do that again. It is also interesting because I don't, I don't think of either Lugovoy or Kovtun as, as tea drinkers and yet they've got this pot of tea because they know that, that Litvinenko is, it

[Gordon Carrera]

is kind of, I think, smart what they're doing because they've said they've got to go soon, so there's probably not time to order something. If Litvinenko orders something, he's probably worried I'm then going to have to pay the bill. And it's expensive so, you know, you don't want to get caught with a bill if you lit Minenko. So he's kind of thinking, oh well, you know, it's fine. They're talking about the plan that they're going to go to Spain together. Lugovoy, Litvinenko and Litvinenko, as they're talking, pours out about half a cup of green tea. There wasn't much left in the pot, which suggests maybe it had been drunk, whatever. But he doesn't see anyone else drink from the same pot. Now the tea is already cold and he also normally has it with sugar. So he has a few sips, maybe three or four sips, and that's it. It just doesn't taste that nice because it's cold and it's not sweet enough. Interestingly enough, if he'd had more then the long drawn out death which he's going to face would have been much quicker. And actually the whole story could have been quite different. No one else drinks from the pot. Kovtun comes back to the table. Just before 4:30, Lugovoy's friends and his wife and kids turn up in the lobby of the hotel. The lobby is right next to the bar. The wife waves and then something really odd happens. Lugovoy brings his 8 year old son over to Litvinenko and says, this is Uncle Sasha. Sasha being the kind of name for Alexander the diminutive. Shake his hand, they shake hands and the boy leaves. Interesting, isn't it?

[David McCloskey]

I would not have probably wouldn't have asked my 8 year old son to shake the hand of the guy I just poisoned with an exceptionally powerful and radioactive poison. But, you know, I don't know, I just, maybe, maybe I'm an overly protective father. Gordon, that just doesn't seem, it seems, it seems odd. It also, I guess it suggests that Compton and Lugovoy maybe don't understand what sort of poison they've been given.

[Gordon Carrera]

I think that feels right to me. I think they think it's something you're going to. I mean, they're right. It's something you put in a drink that you're going to ingest. But I don't think they understand its radioactivity and therefore that there's a risk of wider contamination because otherwise you just wouldn't do it, wouldn't bring your, your son over. But they have this encounter around 4:30. So about after half an hour or so in this pine bar, Litvinenko leaves. Litvinenko then goes to Berezovsky's office on down street, actually the same one I visited four years earlier, maybe to show him the documents that Scaramella has given him. You know, all the stuff about plots, because of course there's plots against Berezovsky's life, against as well as, as Litvinenko's, according to Scaramella. And then Ahmed Zakaev, the Chechen friend of them both, will drive Litvinenko home that evening back to North London. He doesn't know it, but he's now a dead man walking.

[David McCloskey]

Well, Gordon, I think there with the soon to be fatal radioactive poison delivered to Litvinenko in that teapot. Let's end this episode when we come back next time we'll see how the really horrific and drawn out process of his death unfolds and what it says about the regime of Vladimir Putin. Of course, if you don't want to wait, don't wait. Go and join the declassified club@the restisclassified.com where you'll get early access to all of the episodes in this series, including the bonus episodes we'll be doing. We'll be talking with some very interesting guests, including a police officer who was heavily involved in the investigation into Litvidenko's murder. We'll see you next time.

[Gordon Carrera]

See you next time.