{"id":27198,"date":"2022-12-15T13:00:43","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T12:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1755146"},"modified":"2022-12-15T13:30:56","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T12:30:56","slug":"litvinenko-ending-explained-what-happened-to-lugovoy-and-kovtun","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/litvinenko-ending-explained-what-happened-to-lugovoy-and-kovtun\/","title":{"rendered":"Litvinenko ending explained: What happened to Lugovoy and Kovtun?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By James Hibbs\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 15 December 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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David Tennant\u2019s new ITVX<\/a> series Litvinenko<\/a> is now available in full on the platform, with each of the four episodes following a different protagonist in their efforts to get justice for the titular figure, following his poisoning in 2006.<\/p>\n

The fourth episode largely follow Marina Litvinenko, Alexander Litvinenko\u2019s wife, as she works with British barrister Ben Emmerson to secure a public inquiry into her husband\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

The final episode ends in 2016, but just how did it play out, and what happened to some of the major real-life figures, such as Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun who were accused of Alexander\u2019s murder<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Read on for everything you need to know about the ending of Litvinenko and what happened to the real people next.<\/p>\n

What happens at the end of Litvinenko?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Stephen Campbell Moore as Ben Emmerson in Litvinenko.<\/span><\/figcaption> ITV studios for ITVX<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

At the end of the fourth episode of Litvinenko, the judge at the inquiry into Alexander Litvinenko\u2019s death, Sir Robert Owen, finds that he was deliberately poisoned by Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun, and that they were acting on behalf of others, with there being a \u201cstrong probability\u201d that it was on behalf of the FSB.<\/p>\n

The then-Home Secretary Theresa May is then seen reading a statement in the House of Commons in archive footage, in which she says the inquiry found the FSB operation was probably approved by the then-head of the FSB Nikolai Patrushev and by President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n

Brent Hyatt and his wife are then seen meeting with Marina, Anatoly and Alexander Goldfarb. Brent and his wife reveal that they plan to name their baby Sasha, after Alexander\u2019s nickname. They subsequently lay flowers at Alexander\u2019s grave.<\/p>\n

What happened to the real Lugovoy and Kovtun?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Rad Kaim as Andrey Lugovoy in Litvinenko.<\/span><\/figcaption> ITV studios for ITVX<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

As stated at the end of the episode, Lugovoy and Kovtun have always strongly denied having any involvement in the death of Litvinenko. Russia has also denied claims that it was in any way involved.<\/p>\n

Lugovoy is now reportedly<\/a> \u201chigh up in Moscow\u2019s Security and Anti-Corruption committee\u201d. He is still currently wanted in the UK<\/a> in relation to Litvinenko\u2019s murder, but Russia has rejected requests for his extradition.<\/p>\n

Kovtun died in Moscow in June of this year, reportedly from COVID-19<\/a>.<\/p>

What happened to Marina Litvinenko?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Margarita Levieva as Marina Litvinenko and James Esler as Anatoly Litvinenko.<\/span><\/figcaption> ITV Studios for ITVX<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

In the years since the inquiry into Alexander\u2019s death came to an end, Marina Litvinenko has continued to seek justice for him and to campaign on issues in relation to the Russian state.<\/p>\n

These have included the 2018 Skripal case<\/a>, which was formerly dramatised in The Salisbury Poisonings, in which former Russian military officer and double agent for the British intelligence agencies Sergei Skripal, as well as his daughter Yulia, were poisoned in Salisbury.<\/p>\n

The subsequent death of British civilian Dawn Sturgess was later linked to the same poison, a nerve agent called Novichok. The\u00a0British government has accused Russia<\/a> of the attempted assassination of the Skripals, which the Russian foreign ministry has always denied.<\/p>\n

Marina Litvinenko has also spoken out regarding the situation of Alexei Navalny<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 the Russian opposition leader who was poisoned in 2020 and arrested in 2021 when he returned to Russia \u2013 and against the country\u2019s ongoing war in Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

She has also given her approval to the ITVX drama, and spoke extensively with both the cast and creatives behind the drama.<\/p>\n

She recently explained to RadioTimes.com<\/a> and other press why she agreed to the drama<\/a>, saying that \u201cit\u2019s so important to keep his voice alive, whether it\u2019s [through a] documentary, or whether it\u2019s [through a] drama\u201d.<\/p>\n

She continued: \u201cI realise with this drama, [there] will be more understanding for what happened. There\u2019s still some questions [from people]. \u2018Are you sure it\u2019s happened like this? Are you sure he was poisoned?\u2019 \u2013 when they watch this episode, I think more and more people will realise what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n