"Until the last moment I could not believe that he would die, because the radioactive polonium 210 became known after his death. And probably because he experienced, struggling, a lot these 23 days, he lost a lot of weight. In the last days, he began to look like a sick person who was undergoing chemotherapy, although no such treatment was being carried out at all. He couldn't eat, he couldn't drink, because his entire mucous membrane was inflamed."
This was stated to BNT by his widow Marina Litvinenko.
Her greatest disappointment is that after his death in 2006, the West continued to be willing to compromise with Russian President Vladimir Putin, without realizing that the Kremlin would attack Ukraine:
"I am very disappointed because after Sasha's death, his monstrous death, especially when it became clear that the weapon for his murder was the radioactive element polonium, the world was not frightened. It did not change the attitude towards Putin's regime. They thought that they would find a common language with Putin, that they would find compromises, but unfortunately we are now in 2025 and a major war is going on in Europe. This is what we have come to from 2006, when an act of nuclear terrorism was carried out in the center of London, to a bloody war in the center of Europe."
She hopes that one day all those responsible for her husband's death will be held accountable for their actions.
Today marks the 19th anniversary of Litvinenko's death. The case is the first poisoning of a Kremlin critic since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Alexander, a former Russian spy, was poisoned with radioactive polonium in London, possibly according to a British public inquiry, on Putin's personal orders. After his death, Marina advocated for a proper investigation into his murder.