Ambassador seeks Met meeting

Moscow’s ambassador to the UK is preparing to request a meeting with the head of Scotland Yard over its probe into the suspected murder of a Russian businessman in London.

The Russian embassy said numerous requests for details on the investigation into the death of Nikolay Glushkov had not been fulfilled by the Foreign Office (FCO), which instead referred the Kremlin’s officials to the Metropolitan Police.

In a statement, the embassy accused British officials of deliberately withholding information, saying it had been denied similar requests over the Salisbury spy poisoning probe.

“For Russia this murder has a criminal as well as political dimension,” the embassy said.

“Almost a month has passed since Mr Glushkov’s death, and like it happened with Sergei and Yulia Skripal, the British side provided no information.

“Given our numerous requests, the only thing we can suggest is that it is done deliberately.”

As an inquest into Mr Glushkov’s death opened in March, ambassador Alexander Yakovenko said the FCO had failed to provide “any meaningful response” to its requests under the Vienna Convention.

Mr Glushkov, 68, was found dead in his home on Clarence Avenue, New Malden, on March 12 but four days later the Met launched a murder investigation.