Alexander Litvinenko made a good professional career in the security services, was promoted to lieutenant colonel. But after criticizing and accusing the current Russian authorities, he was dismissed from service and became a defendant in several criminal cases. He was forced to flee to the UK and spend the rest of his life there.
early years
The future dissident was born in Voronezh in 1962. His mother worked as an economist, his father served in the internal troops. When the boy was two years old, his parents decided to leave. Sasha and his mother chose Nalchik, where their grandmother and grandfather lived. In addition, the nature of the Caucasus should have a beneficial effect on the health of the child.
Service in the KGB
After leaving school, Alexander went to the army, and then decided to pursue a military career and entered the school of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Ordzhonikidze. For several years the graduate served in the escort troops, and at the age of 24 he entered the security forces. At first, he dealt with the theft of weapons, and after completing counterintelligence courses, he was transferred to a new department. Since 1991, Litvinenko has specialized in countering terrorism. A few years later, the intelligence officer became the deputy head of the unit associated with identifying criminal organizations. At one of his meetings with the press in 1998, he said that he had received an order to eliminate Boris Berezovsky, the secretary of the Security Council. For such words, Alexander paid with his own career and freedom. In 1999, he was arrested, but the court acquitted him. This was followed by a new prosecution and Litvinenko, under house arrest, decided to illegally leave the country, fearing for his safety. After the escape, four more criminal cases were opened and this was followed by a sentence in absentia - 3.5 years probation.
In Great Britain
In 2001, the UK gave the fugitive asylum consent. In London, he lived on allowances, royalties from transactions and help from Berezovsky. Litvinenko wrote articles for British publications and often gave interviews in which he accused the Russian leadership of crimes. Two of his books have been published, narrating about the exposures of the "Russian regime", one of which was used in a documentary film in France.
In 2006, after meeting with former colleagues at the Millennium Hotel, Litvinenko felt unwell, and within a few days his health worsened significantly. A version of radioactive poisoning appeared, and despite the efforts of toxicologists, Alexander died three weeks later, in a London hospital. An autopsy named the cause of death - the substance polonium 210. The ex-Chekist was buried in the memorial cemetery of the English capital. Two days before his death, he converted to Islam, after which he was buried according to Muslim traditions. This is probably how he wanted to express his solidarity with the Chechen people. Alexander wrote his will and, feeling the imminent death, made a farewell statement, blaming the Russian leadership for everything. The idea of eliminating the officer who violated the order was supported by the opposition and representatives of the West. This turned into a real international scandal, to which Vladimir Putin said that a personal tragedy was the reason for a political provocation.
Personal life
During his short biography, Litvinenko managed to be married twice. He knew his first wife Natalia from childhood. Friendship with her cousin made it possible to visit them often at home. After leaving for Nalchik, fate separated them, but brought them together again already in their youth. The young family traveled a lot around the country: Novosibirsk, Tver, Moscow region. Natalia stoically endured the hardships of the fate of the officer's wife, gave her husband a daughter, Sophia, and a son, Alexander. Their family union lasted almost ten years.
During one of the work operations in the early 90s, Litvinenko met his new love Marina. Because of her, he left Natalia and the children. A son Anatoly appeared in the second family. The young man was educated at the University College and became a specialist in the field of Eastern European politics. This choice was not accidental, and his father spent his last days in the ward of the clinic of this educational institution. Alexander Jr. sincerely believes that his famous father wanted to make life in Russia better.
