A Russian exile has been found dead in Britain as tensions continue to rise between the two countries following the poisoning of spy Sergei Skripal. Nikolai Glushkov, who was friends with an oligarch that fell out with Vladimir Putin, was found dead by family and friends at his home in south-west London on Monday. This is as The Guardian reports.
His body showed ‘traces of strangulation’, according to Russia’s Kommersant newspaper, which quoted his family. Counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation at the 68-year-old businessman’s home in Clarence Avenue, New Malden. The cause of his death is currently unclear.
The Met Police said: ‘Officers attended and next of kin have been informed. Whilst we believe we know the identity of the deceased, formal identification is yet to take place. ‘A post-mortem examination will be held in due course. ‘The death is currently being treated as an unexplained. ‘If there is a change in the status of the investigation, an update will be provided.’ The Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation as a precaution due to associations the man is believed to have had, police said.
They have added that there is currently no evidence to suggest a link to the poisoning of spy Sergei Skripal, who remains in a critical condition in hospital. The 68-year-old was a close associate of the late tycoon Boris Berezovsky, who died at his ex-wife’s Berkshire home in 2013.
A tribute to Glushkov was posted on Facebook by his friend, the newspaper editor Damian Kudryavtsev. Glushkov, who worked for Berezovsky’s LogoVAZ car company, was charged with money laundering and fraud and spent five years in jail from 1999. It came as Berezovsky fell out with Putin and fled to Britain.
Glushkov received political asylum in London and gave evidence in Berezovksy’s court case against Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in 2011. Berezovsky had accused Abramovich of cheating him out of £3.2 billion, but this was denied by Abramovich and rejected by a judge.
Metro
