Litvinenko widow wants UK inquest

Mrs Litvinenko hopes for a change from President-elect Medvedev

The widow of the former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko, who was murdered in London in 2006, has urged the UK to hold a full inquest.

Marina Litvinenko's plea came in an open letter published in The Times newspaper on Thursday.

She called for "a review of the evidence in an open, independent court in Britain" to establish "who poisoned his tea with radioactive polonium-210".

The UK wants Russia to extradite businessman Andrei Lugovoi for a trial.

Marina Litvinenko said she had instructed her lawyers to petition the coroner to hold a full inquest into the murder.

"I do this against the wishes of Scotland Yard and David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, who both told me that making the evidence public would prejudice a criminal trial of the chief suspect, Andrei Lugovoi," she said.

Lugovoi avoids prosecution

Mr Litvinenko, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, died of poisoning from polonium-210 on 23 November 2006.

Mr Litvinenko was an ally of anti-Putin tycoon Boris Berezovsky

Russia has refused to extradite Mr Lugovoi, who as a newly-elected member of the Russian parliament has immunity from prosecution. He denies the British charges.

In her plea, Mrs Litvinenko thanked the UK police and government for their actions in the case, but said that "after waiting for 15 months I have come to the conclusion that Mr Lugovoi, a former KGB agent, will never be extradited".

"So I respectfully reject their argument. I cannot wait for another ten years for a slim chance that their approach would bear fruit."

She said a full inquest would end "smear campaigns" about the killing, which she said had been spread by "officials at the highest levels at the Kremlin".

The Litvinenko murder contributed to a new frostiness in Russian-UK relations last year.

Andrei Lugovoi had tea with Mr Litvinenko at a London hotel

Russia firmly rejected a deathbed claim by Mr Litvinenko that he was murdered on the orders of President Putin.

President-elect Dmitry Medvedev takes charge in the Kremlin on 7 May. He told the Financial Times this week that Moscow was "open to the re-establishment of co-operation to the full extent" with the UK.

According to Marina Litvinenko, Mr Medvedev "is not tainted by the crimes of the previous regime".

She added that "he has the power to cleanse Russia of the people who killed my husband, but I am not sure that he has the will".