Russia denied on Friday that it had a role in the death of Kremlin critic and former spy Alexander Litvinenko in London six years ago, dismissing a statement made during a British inquest into his fatal poisoning with radioactive polonium-210.

Allegations of Russian state involvement are unfounded and Moscow hopes an investigation conducted "transparently and without prejudice" will put them to rest, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said. He acknowledged Litvinenko's death was still troubling relations.

"We hope that as a result of the investigation — on condition, of course, that it is conducted transparently and without prejudice — all the baseless allegations about some kind of Russian involvement in this affair will be dispelled once and for all," he told journalists at a weekly briefing. (Reuters)

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