Biography
Alexander Litvinenko — whistleblower with roots in the Russian Empire
Alexander Litvinenko was an FSB officer who defected to the UK in 2000, exposing Kremlin corruption and assassination plots. He died in London in 2006 from polonium-210 poisoning, a murder a British inquiry attributed to Russian state actors.
"Fled Russia with family in 2000, granted asylum in the United Kingdom."
Migration storyRussian Connection
Tracing the roots — UK
Born in Voronezh, Litvinenko rose through the KGB and FSB before conscience compelled him to break with the system.
Family Tree
Subject
Alexander Litvinenko🇬🇧 UK
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Ancestors
Voronezh
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Origin
UK🇷🇺
Historical context
Post-Soviet states · since 1991
UK. Today, the former Soviet space comprises fifteen sovereign independent states.
Map: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)
Key Achievements
A career defined by ambition
01
FSB officer who publicly accused superiors of ordering a mafia hit
02
Defected to UK and became MI6 consultant
03
Co-authored 'Blowing Up Russia' alleging FSB staged 1999 apartment bombings
04
First known victim of polonium-210 assassination
05
2016 British public inquiry concluded Putin 'probably approved' his murder
"You may succeed in silencing one man, but the howl of protest from around the world will reverberate, Mr. Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life."
Alexander Litvinenko
Sources