Chapter 7: British citizenship

¶5.78 I have referred above (at paragraph 3.98) to the strong sense of attachment that

Mr Litvinenko demonstrated to his adopted nation. I mentioned Marina Litvinenko's evidence about her husband flying the flag of St George during the 2006 World Cup.

¶5.79 Mrs Litvinenko explained in evidence that the family became eligible for naturalisation

as British citizens in 2006, and that they had submitted their applications during the summer of that year. The applications were granted and all three then attended a citizenship ceremony at Haringey Civic Centre. The ceremony took place on 13 October 2006.72

¶5.80 Several witnesses referred to Mr Litvinenko's delight at being granted British citizenship.

Mr Attew, for example, recalled that Mr Litvinenko had come to his office "elated at the fact that he was holding a British passport. He was British… he was extremely proud." He added that Mr Litvinenko ran next door to see Mr Reilly.73 Mr Reilly described what was clearly the same occasion:

"… he ran in one day when he was given his British passport, he just absolutely ran in, and threw it down on the desk and… wanted to go for a drink… He was delighted, he was over the moon, he was ecstatic, he was literally jumping up in my office, I was calming him down, I only had coffee to give him."⁷⁴⁷⁴ Felshtinsky 23/146-150 Guzzanti 29/9-18; Scaramella 27/30-32 Reilly 10/21; Tabunov 13/128; Berezovsky 25/13-14 Reilly 10/90 INQ019146 (page 25 paragraph 79)

¶5.81 Mr Litvinenko himself expressed his feelings about his British citizenship towards the

end of the last of his interviews with DI Hyatt. The relevant section of the transcript reads as follows:

"I wouldn't like you to think that this is some, some kind of pompous political statement, but since all this happened I would like you to know very clearly what my position regarding this matter is. As you understand last month I was granted British Citizenship and I very much love this country, and its people, although unfortunately I haven't learnt the English language completely yet. I am proud to be able to say that I'm a British Citizen. Yes they did try to kill me and possibly I may die, but I will die, as a free person, and my son and wife are free people. And Britain is a great country. When after we were given asylum here I took my son to the Tower and I showed him the British crown, and I told him, 'Sonny, you must defend this country in future until the last drop of your blood,' and he said, 'Yes Dad'. I told him, 'Remember for the rest of your life this country saved us, and do everything whatever you might be able to do in order to defend this country.'"⁷⁵⁷⁵ Felshtinsky 23/150-151 Guzzanti 29/18-20 INQ016652 (page 8) Reilly 10/105-106 INQ019146 (pages 25-26 paragraphs 79-80)

¶5.82 When Anatoly Litvinenko gave evidence before me, he frankly admitted that although

he could remember visiting the Tower with his father, he did not recall what his father had said to him on that occasion. But he confirmed that the words that I have quoted above were entirely consistent with what he knew of his father's feelings. He said:

"… he would always go on about the integrity of this nation… the honesty and transparency with which judicial processes were carried out as well as the honesty

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of the police and how deeply [this] contrasted with the regime under which he grew up and the system in which he served."⁷⁶⁷⁶ Goldfarb 5/92-95; Marina Litvinenko 3/105-106 Scaramella 15/93-94 Anatoly Litvinenko 4/134 A1 20/27-31 Service 28/51-55; 28/100-102

¶5.83 By coincidence, the British citizenship ceremony that the Litvinenko family attended

at Haringey Civic Centre took place on the same day as the memorial meeting for Anna Politkovskaya at Westminster. Marina Litvinenko told me that she had gone home after the citizenship ceremony, but Mr Litvinenko had gone to the memorial at Westminster, taking Anatoly with him. She explained that Mr Litvinenko had felt it to be very important that he should go and pay tribute to Ms Politkovskaya.77

¶5.84 Mr Bukovsky and Mr Felshtinsky were also at Westminster for the memorial that

afternoon. The evidence that they gave me about what Mr Litvinenko said to them there illuminates at least one of the reasons why he was so pleased with his British citizenship: it made him feel safer.

¶5.85 Mr Felshtinsky recalled that Mr Litvinenko said to him, "I just received my citizenship, now they will not be able to touch me."⁷⁸⁷⁸ Marina Litvinenko 3/108 Scaramella 27/57-58 Felshtinsky 23/169 Reilly 10/117-123 Emmerson 22/1-2

¶5.86 Mr Bukovsky's memory of that day was that Mr Litvinenko was, "very pleased with

getting British citizenship". He also remembered that Mr Litvinenko had asked him, "it makes me more secure, doesn't it, it protects me?" Mr Bukovsky told me, "I had to smile and say: well, not much, not really."⁷⁹⁷⁹ Marina Litvinenko 3/108-110 Guzzanti 29/22 Bukovsky 26/99 Reilly 10/145-146 Shvets 24/116-117

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¶The Litvinenko Inquiry