The murder of Alexander Litvinenko (file photo) was probably approved by President Vladimir Putin, Judge Robert Owen said at London's High Court.
President Vladimir Putin "probably approved" the assassination in 2006 of a former Russian spy, a public inquiry in the UK has found.
Here are the 10 big developments in this story:
Former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko died in London of radiation poisoning.
The FSB (Russian security agency) operation to kill Mr Litvinenko was probably approved by Mr Patrushev and by President Putin," judge Robert Owen said in his 300-page report at London's High Court.
Nikolai Patrushev was the head of Russia's spy service and is the secretary of the Russian Security Council.
The murdered spy was seen as an enemy of the Kremlin.
The 43-year-old died less than a month after having green tea laced with polonium at a London hotel.
He was with two Russian associates when he was poisoned.
" British scientists examined one of the last urine samples collected from him and discovered high levels of polonium, which was once used as a nuclear trigger and is almost exclusively produced in Russia," reports The New York Times.
The judge's finding today links the assassination to the top levels of the Russian government.
The inquiry in the UK was based on a complaint by the spy's widow, Marina, who, has testified that " her husband worked as an agent of the British MI6 spy service," the New York Times said.
Mr Litvenko fled from Russia to the UK in 2000 along with his wife and son.
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