Chapter 3: Where did Alexander Litvinenko ingest polonium 210 on 1 November 2006?

¶8.19 I am sure that Mr Litvinenko ingested the fatal dose of polonium 210 whilst drinking tea in the Pine Bar of the Millennium Hotel during the afternoon of 1 November 2006.

¶8.20 I have relied upon the following evidence in making this finding.

¶8.21 It is absolutely clear that Mr Litvinenko went to the Pine Bar on the afternoon of

1 November. Apart from his evidence to that effect, Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun have confirmed that they met him there then, and there is also Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage which supports this.

¶8.22 It is equally clear that Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun had ordered tea that afternoon, and that there was a teapot on the table when Mr Litvinenko arrived.1

¶8.23 Mr Litvinenko said that he drank some of this tea, and I accept that he did so.

¶8.24 Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun have given inconsistent accounts about what happened in

the Pine Bar and on other matters (see paragraphs 8.82 – 8.91 below). But the theme of their accounts on this issue has been more that they did not offer or pour any tea for Mr Litvinenko, rather than that he did not drink any tea at all.2

¶8.25 The forensic evidence shows that the Pine Bar was heavily contaminated with

polonium 210. The contamination was focused on the table where Mr Litvinenko sat with Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun on 1 November 2006. The highest readings, which were consistent with primary contamination, were taken on the table itself and on the inside of one of the teapots used in the Pine Bar. A1's evidence was that the readings on the inside of the teapot demonstrated that, "at some stage polonium… has been poured out of the spout". She said she was sure of this (see paragraph 6.322).

¶8.26 It is equally important to note that radiation tests were conducted at all the other

places where Mr Litvinenko went that day. Although some secondary contamination was found at some of these locations (I shall return to these results in due course), the Pine Bar was the only location of those visited by Mr Litvinenko on 1 November where primary contamination was found. More than that, of course, it was found on the table in the Pine Bar where Mr Litvinenko had sat whilst drinking tea, and on the inside of one of the teapots used in the Pine Bar.

¶8.27 This evidence all points to the conclusion that Mr Litvinenko ingested the fatal dose

of polonium 210 whilst drinking tea in the Pine Bar of the Millennium Hotel during the afternoon of 1 November 2006, and I make a finding to that effect.

¶Andrade 16/111-141; INQ015344 2

¶Mascall 16/161-170

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¶Part 8 | Chapters 1 to 6 | Who killed Alexander Litvinenko?