Russia to look for radiation on Aeroflot's Hamburg-Moscow route

Dec 14, 2006, 15:09 GMT

Moscow - Russian officials are to inspect planes that flew between Moscow and Hamburg for signs of radiation in connection with the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, officials at Russian carrier Aeroflot said Thursday.

The company said about 20 planes that had travelled the route from the end of October onward would be inspected. Russia's federal consumer and health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, is to conduct the checks, Aeroflot officials told Interfax.

The news agency reported the check was motivated by a request sent by German officials to a Russian transportation agency. The agency, however, shortly afterward denied receiving any such request.

Litvinenko died November 23 in London after being poisoned with the radioactive isotope polonium-210.

Since then, British authorities have opened a murder investigation into Litvinenko's death, and detectives from London's Scotland Yard arrived in Moscow on December 4.

The British police intend to question 'nine to 10' witnesses in the case in the Russian capital, Interfax reported Thursday. Half of them were said to have already been questioned.

The onetime KGB man first fell ill November 1, hours after meeting in London with two Russian acquaintances and, separately, an Italian contact.

The Aeroflot checks, coming weeks after traces of polonium were found on two British Airways planes, were announced after traces of polonium were uncovered in the Hamburg apartment of the ex-mother-in- law of one of those Russians, Dmitry Kovtun.

Officials have said Kovtun flew from Moscow to Hamburg on an October 28 Aeroflot flight en route to London. He slept on the couch in the Hamburg apartment before departing for Britain October 30.

While German police say they are unsure whether to consider Kovtun a victim or villain, his movements in Hamburg have occupied the attention of German investigators.

German media reported a call was made in Berlin Tuesday from Kovtun's mobile phone, although the Russian is said to be in a Moscow radiation ward.

After Britain opened a murder case into Litvinenko's death earlier this month, Russian prosecutors began investigations into both Litvinenko's death and an assassination attempt on Kovtun, who, they say, was also poisoned by Litvinenko's killers.

Kovtun's health was reported to have suddenly deteriorated after the case was opened. Media said he had fallen into a coma and was in serious condition with radiation poisoning.

In an interview on German television on Tuesday, the Russian businessman said he felt 'fine' and that he expected to leave the hospital in a matter of days.

Kovtun also told Spiegel TV that the radiation traces were explained by his version of Litvinenko's poisoning: Kovtun brought the polonium to Hamburg on his way back from an earlier London visit with Litvinenko, made in mid-October.

Litvinenko, he said, had been poisoned weeks before investigators have supposed, and he infected Kovtun with the radiation during the earlier visit.