MOSCOW, February 10 (RIA Novosti) - Some 20 Russian
nationals whose extradition is sought by Moscow are hiding from
justice in Britain, the Russian ambassador to London said on
Tuesday.
Russia and Britain have been at loggerheads over London's
refusal to extradite fugitive ex-oligarch Boris Berezovsky and
Chechen emissary Akhmed Zakayev. The latter has been accused by
Moscow of terrorist activities.
"Unfortunately, Britain turned into some kind of a
'wildlife sanctuary,' where people can easily hide from
justice, although they had committed serious crimes and are
wanted by [Russian] justice authorities," Yury Fedotov said on
Vesti TV news channel.
He said Russia regularly sends extradition requests to
London, but British courts refuse to consider them, adding that
right now some 20 Russians are hiding from justice in the
country.
Relations between Britain and Russia were strained by the
diplomatic fallout following the 2006 murder of former Russian
security officer Alexander Litvinenko in London and Moscow's
refusal to extradite the British police's main suspect in the
case.
London responded by drastically cutting diplomatic and
other contacts with Moscow, which took tit-for-tat measures.
Ties deteriorated further after the closure of British Council
offices in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg early last year.
Russian authorities cited tax and status violations, but London
said the closures were political.
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