Russian ambassador wants meeting with Met over Glushkov death inquiry

Moscow’s ambassador to the UK is preparing to request a meeting with the head of Scotland Yard over its investigation 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.

The embassy accused British officials of deliberately withholding information, saying it had been denied similar requests over the Salisbury spy poisoning inquiry.

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

“Almost a month has passed 0 Nikolay Glushko: found dead in his home in March 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.

“According to the British media, the Russian citizen died in strange and mysterious circumstances shortly after the poisoning of the Skripal family. The ambassador, taking advantage of the FCO advice, plans to request a meetingwiththecommissioner of the Metropolitan Police in order to invite the British side to provide us detailed information on the course of the investigation.”

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.

The Russian Embassy said it had learned about the businessman’s suspected murder through the media.

Mr Glushkov was found dead in his home on Clarence Avenue, New Malden, on 12 March but four days later the Met launched a murder investigation. The inquest, which was opened and adjourned, heard the 68-year-old’s cause of death was compression to the neck.