A British government minister has said President Vladimir Putin's success in building economic stability in Russia has been clouded by "huge attacks" on individual liberty and democracy.
Peter Hain's comments on November 26 came three days after former Russian spy Aleksandr Litvinenko died in a London hospital, having blamed his apparent radiation poisoning on Putin -- an accusation dismissed by the Russian president.
Hain, the government's minister for Northern Ireland, did not comment directly on Litvinenko's death. But he told the BBC Putin's tenure had been clouded by incidents including what he called the "extremely murky murder" of journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
British police have been studying security camera footage of a London hotel and restaurant where Litvinenko met contacts the day before he fell ill.
Traces of the radioactive substance polonium-210 detected in Litvinenko's body have been found in both places.
Source: AP
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