London (AFP) - A British coroner on Thursday opened an inquest to establish the cause of death of Russian exile Nikolai Glushkov, who was found at his London home on March 12.

The inquest at West London Coroner's Court was told that a post-mortem discovered the 68-year-old businessman suffered from compression to the neck, suggesting he may have been strangled.

His family said Wednesday they were "devastated" by the death.

"We are devastated at the loss of Nikolai and are coming to terms with our grief," they said in a statement.

Scotland Yard opened a murder probe last week following the autopsy results.

Glushkov had received political asylum in Britain after being jailed in Russia for money laundering and fraud.

He was linked to late Kremlin opponent Boris Berezovsky, an oligarch and one-time supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was found hanged in his home outside London in 2013.

The Russian embassy in London said that it had asked British authorities for details of Glushkov's death.

The suspected murder is not believed to be linked to the nerve agent attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, southwest England, on March 4, which has caused a diplomatic row between the two countries.

In English law, inquests are held to examine violent, unnatural or unexplained deaths. They set out to determine the place and time of death as well as how the deceased came by their death, but do not apportion blame. </s> London - A corner's court is scheduled to open an inquest on Thursday after the suspected murder of Nikolai Glushkov, who is said to have been an enemy of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Counter-terrorism police launched a murder investigation after Glushkov, 68, sometimes known as Glouchkov, was found dead at his London home on March 12.

The Metropolitan Police said a pathologist's report gave the cause of death as "compression to the neck."

It said counter-terrorism officers were leading the probe "because of the associations Mr Glushkov is believed to have had."

The inquest by the West London coroner comes amid a diplomatic row following the nerve-agent poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the British city of Salisbury.

Glushkov's family issued a statement via the police on Wednesday, saying they were "devastated at the loss of Nikolai and are coming to terms with our grief."

The police said there is "nothing to suggest any link to the attempted murders in Salisbury, nor any evidence that he [Glushkov] was poisoned."

Glushkov is a former friend and business associate of the late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who was found hanged in London in 2013.

Police believed Berezovsky committed suicide, but Glushkov and other friends had raised doubts about the death. A coroner recorded an open verdict.

Bill Browder, the founder of Hermitage Capital Management and an outspoken critic of Putin, said Glushkov's death was a "very disturbing development."

"Another Russian enemy of Putin, Nikolai Glushkov, found dead at his London home," Browder tweeted. </s> A British court has opened an inquest to establish the cause of death of Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov, who was found at his home in London earlier this month.

The inquest at West London Coroner's Court comes amid a diplomatic dispute following the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury.

But police say there is "nothing to suggest any link” to the attempted murders of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, nor “any evidence” that Glushkov was poisoned.

West London Coroner's Court heard evidence of how paramedics arrived at Glushkov’s home in London on March 12 and declared him dead shortly after.

Court officer Terry Waple confirmed that a postmortem had concluded that Glushkov died of “compression to the neck.”

The inquest was later adjourned pending further police investigation.

The court proceedings are to determine when and where Glushkov died, his medical cause of death, and the circumstances surrounding it.

Also on March 22, the Russian ambassador to Britain, Aleksandr Yakovenko, suggested that Britain was “deliberately ignoring our requests and continues to avoid any contacts” with Russia’s Embassy to London on the case.

Police have launched a murder investigation and said counterterrorism officers were leading the case "because of the associations Mr. Glushkov is believed to have had."

Glushkov had lived in London in recent years, after being granted political asylum in Britain in 2010 and becoming a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A former deputy director of Russian state airline Aeroflot, Glushkov was jailed in 1999 for five years for money laundering and fraud. He was also given a suspended sentence for another count of fraud in 2006.

Glushkov was a close associate of Russian oligarch turned Kremlin critic Boris Berezovsky, who was found hanged in his home outside London in 2013.

An inquest failed to establish if he had committed suicide.

Sergei and Yulia Skripal remain hospitalized and in critical condition after they were found collapsed on a bench in the southern English city of Salisbury on March 4. Britain accuses Russia of using a military-grade nerve agent known as Novichok against the pair, while Moscow denies involvement.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, The Guardian, and TASS </s> Counter-terrorism police are leading an investigation after Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov, known critic of Putin who has been living in the UK under political asylum has been found dead in his home in South West London. </s> Russia is preparing to request a meeting with the head of Scotland Yard over its investigation into the suspected murder of Russian businessman, Nikolai Glushkov.

A critic of Vladimir Putin, Glushkov, was found dead at his home in New Maiden, south London, by his daughter on 12 March.

An inquest heard that the 68-year-old had died from compression to the neck where strangulation marks were found. An open verdict was recorded.

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​On the day of his death, he was due to defend himself against claims of embezzling money from Russia’s state airline, Aeroflot. In 2017, Glushkov, who had been living in the UK since 2010, after being granted political asylumh, was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for stealing $123m (£87m) from the airline carrier.

The Russian Embassy in London 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, it 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,” it said. “Almost a month has passed since 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 meeting with the commissioner 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 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.

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The events mark increasing hostility between the UK and Russia, as tensions heighten over the ongoing probe into the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who were left in critical condition after they were exposed to the Novichok nerve agent at his home in Salisbury.

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The Russian Embassy has previously requested a meeting with Boris Johnson to discuss the “situation in Salisbury”. The move came as Mr and Ms Skripal made a remarkable recovery after being poisoned with a nerve agent last month, which had left both of them in a critical condition.

In response to the Russian Embassy’s request, a Foreign Office spokesperson said:

“It’s Russia’s response that has been unsatisfactory. It’s over three weeks since we asked Russia to engage constructively and answer a number of questions relating to the attempted assassinations of Mr Skripal and his daughter.

“Now, after failing in their attempts in the UN and international chemical weapons watchdog this week and with the victims’ condition improving, they seem to be pursuing a different diversionary tactic.

“We will of course consider their request and respond in due course.” </s> The family of the murdered Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov have said they are devastated at his death and are helping counter-terrorism detectives with the investigation.

The 68-year-old was found dead at his home in New Malden, south-west London, on 12 March and a postmortem showed he died from compression to the neck, suggesting he was strangled. Police ruled out suicide and launched a murder investigation last Friday.

“We, the family of Mr Nikolay Glushkov, are very grateful for the messages of sympathy received,” his relatives said in a statement issued through the Metropolitan police, using an alternative spelling of his first name. “A special thank you goes out to the Metropolitan police and the emergency services for their rapid response and assistance on the night.

“We are devastated at the loss of Nikolay and are coming to terms with our grief. We are assisting the counter-terror command with their investigation. As a result we will not be making or releasing any further public statements at this stage of the investigation.”

Detectives have appealed for any footage or images that motorists or cyclists may have captured on dashcams or headcams in Clarence Avenue on Sunday 11 March or Monday 12 March.

At the time of his death, Glushkov was about to defend himself against a fraud claim brought by the Russian airline Aeroflot at the commercial court in London.

In 2017, during a trial in absentia in Russia, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for stealing $123m (£87m) from the airline, which then pursued the case in London. Glushkov failed to arrive at court in central London on 12 March and his body was discovered that evening.

He was a friend of the oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a critic of Vladimir Putin who had clashed in court with Roman Abramovich. Berezovsky was found hanged at his ex-wife’s home in Berkshire in 2013. Police said they believed he killed himself but a coroner recorded an open verdict.

Police have said that at this stage there is nothing to suggest any link to the attempted murders of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury this month, nor any evidence that Glushkov was poisoned.

“Detectives are retaining an open mind and are also appealing for anyone with information that could assist the investigation into Mr Glushkov’s murder to contact them in confidence,” Scotland Yard said. </s> LONDON (AP) — British police say no sign of forced entry has been found at the home where a London-based Russian businessman died from a neck compression.

Metropolitan Police Commander Clarke Jarrett said Monday the forensic investigation into the death of businessman Nikolai Glushkov is continuing in the New Malden neighborhood where he lived.

Glushkov, 68, was found dead at his southwest London home on March 12. He was an associate of Boris Berezovsky, a wealthy Kremlin critic who died under disputed circumstances in 2013.

The murder investigation is being headed by counterterrorism detectives because of the "associations Mr. Glushkov is believed to have had," police said.

Glushkov had worked for various Berezovsky enterprises including the car factory AvtoVAZ and flagship Russian airline Aeroflot.

He was arrested in 1999 and put on trial for embezzling $7 million from Aeroflot. In 2004, he was sentenced to three years and three months in prison, but released because of time served.

Last year, Glushkov appeared on a list published by the Russian Embassy in London of Russian citizens wanted for serious crimes whom the U.K. had refused to extradite. It said Russia had sought his extradition in 2015 "for committing a number of severe financial offences on the territory of Russia," but the British government refused.

Police have said they do not see a link between the Glushkov case and the recent poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury.

British police have contacted other Russian exiles in the last few days to discuss their safety in light of the recent attacks. </s> An inquest into the death of Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov has opened after he was murdered in his London home.

Richard Furniss, the assistant coroner at West London Coroner's Court, adjourned proceedings because of the ongoing police investigation into his death.

It was initially treated as unexplained but detectives opened a murder inquiry after a post-mortem found the 68-year-old had died of “compression to the neck”.

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Mr Glushkov’s body was discovered at his home in Clarence Avenue, New Malden, on 12 March.

Coroner’s officer Gary Waple told the court police were called at 10.46pm by London Ambulance Service paramedics, who pronounced Mr Glushkov dead two minutes later.

“I have to adjourn this inquest pending further police investigation and enquiries,” Mr Furniss said, and did not set a date for the next hearing.

Counter-terror police are leading the ongoing probe because of Mr Glushkov's connection to Russian dissidents including Boris Berezovsky, who died in 2013.

At the time, Mr Glushkov said he believed his friend had been murdered, telling The Guardian: “I don’t believe Boris died of natural causes. Too many deaths [of Russian exiles] have been happening.”

Mr Berezovsky was an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin and friend of murdered Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.

His death is among up to 14 being reviewed by police and MI5 in light of the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.

Shape Created with Sketch. Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Show all 15 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures 1/15 Scene of attack Members of the emergency services in hazard suits fix the tent over the bench where Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury in March 2018. Getty 2/15 Victim - Sergei Skripal The retired Russian colonel and former double agent for MI6 was in a critical condition in hospital for more than two months after being exposed to novichok in Salisbury. He was given refuge in the UK after being jailed in Moscow for treason. Mr Skripal came to Britain as part of a high-profile “spy swap” in 2010 in which four men were exchanged for ten Russian "sleeper agents" in the US. In this image he is speaking to his lawyer from behind bars in Moscow in 2006. AP 3/15 Victim - Yulia Skripal Yulia Skripal was struck down by a novichok poison alongside her father Sergei. Facebook 4/15 Scene of attack A police officer stands guard outside a branch of the Italian chain restaurant Zizzi where the pair dined at before falling ill. It was boarded off whilst investigators worked on the building and later found traces of the chemical weapon within it. AFP/Getty 5/15 Scene of attack Large areas of central Salisbury were cordoned off by police following the discovery of the Skripals. Traces of nerve agent were also found in The Mill pub. PA 6/15 Victim - Nick Bailey Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, rushed to the aid of the Russian ex-spy and his daughter who were targeted with a nerve agent. He was hospitalized after aiding them and didn't leave until three weeks after the attack. Wiltshire Police/Rex 7/15 Police investigation - Skripal’s home Police believe they were poisoned at home, and detectives found the highest concentration of novichok on the front door of Mr Skripal’s house. Getty 8/15 Theresa May visits scene of attack Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May spokes with Wiltshire Police's Chief Constable Kier Pritchard near where the Skripal's were found. Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the nerve agent poisoning and suspended high-level contacts, including for the World Cup on March 14. Theresa May told parliament that Russia had failed to respond to her demand for an explanation on how a Soviet-designed chemical, Novichok, was used in Salisbury. AFP/Getty 9/15 Skripal days before attack Sergei Skripal days before he was exposed to Novichok, that has left him fighting for life. ITV News 10/15 Police investigation - military involvement British soldiers were deployed soon after the attack to help a counter-terrorism investigation into the nerve agent attack. One of the places they were asked to help out with was Skripal's home and it's surrounding. They were asked to remove a vehicle connected to the agent attack in Salisbury, from a residential street in Gillingham. AFP/Getty 11/15 Police investigation Personnel in protective coveralls and breathing equipment cover an ambulance with a tarpaulin at the Salisbury District Hospital. AFP/Getty 12/15 Police investigation The investigation extended to the grave of Sergei Skripal's son Alexander in London Road cemetery. Getty 13/15 Police investigation The Counter Terrorism Policing Network requested assistance from the military to remove a number of vehicles and objects from Salisbury. EPA 14/15 Home Secretary visits scene of attack Home Secretary Amber Rudd visited the scene of the nerve agent attack at the Maltings shopping centre on 9 March. Getty 15/15 Yulia Skripal speaks for the first time Yulia Skripal, speaking for the first time, said she felt lucky to have survived the nerve agent attack in Salisbury which left her fighting for life. Ms Skripal said her life had been “turned upside down” by the assassination attempt. But the Russian national added she hoped to return to her homeland one day, despite the Kremlin being blamed for the attack. Reuters 1/15 Scene of attack Members of the emergency services in hazard suits fix the tent over the bench where Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury in March 2018. Getty 2/15 Victim - Sergei Skripal The retired Russian colonel and former double agent for MI6 was in a critical condition in hospital for more than two months after being exposed to novichok in Salisbury. He was given refuge in the UK after being jailed in Moscow for treason. Mr Skripal came to Britain as part of a high-profile “spy swap” in 2010 in which four men were exchanged for ten Russian "sleeper agents" in the US. In this image he is speaking to his lawyer from behind bars in Moscow in 2006. AP 3/15 Victim - Yulia Skripal Yulia Skripal was struck down by a novichok poison alongside her father Sergei. Facebook 4/15 Scene of attack A police officer stands guard outside a branch of the Italian chain restaurant Zizzi where the pair dined at before falling ill. It was boarded off whilst investigators worked on the building and later found traces of the chemical weapon within it. AFP/Getty 5/15 Scene of attack Large areas of central Salisbury were cordoned off by police following the discovery of the Skripals. Traces of nerve agent were also found in The Mill pub. PA 6/15 Victim - Nick Bailey Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, rushed to the aid of the Russian ex-spy and his daughter who were targeted with a nerve agent. He was hospitalized after aiding them and didn't leave until three weeks after the attack. Wiltshire Police/Rex 7/15 Police investigation - Skripal’s home Police believe they were poisoned at home, and detectives found the highest concentration of novichok on the front door of Mr Skripal’s house. Getty 8/15 Theresa May visits scene of attack Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May spokes with Wiltshire Police's Chief Constable Kier Pritchard near where the Skripal's were found. Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the nerve agent poisoning and suspended high-level contacts, including for the World Cup on March 14. Theresa May told parliament that Russia had failed to respond to her demand for an explanation on how a Soviet-designed chemical, Novichok, was used in Salisbury. AFP/Getty 9/15 Skripal days before attack Sergei Skripal days before he was exposed to Novichok, that has left him fighting for life. ITV News 10/15 Police investigation - military involvement British soldiers were deployed soon after the attack to help a counter-terrorism investigation into the nerve agent attack. One of the places they were asked to help out with was Skripal's home and it's surrounding. They were asked to remove a vehicle connected to the agent attack in Salisbury, from a residential street in Gillingham. AFP/Getty 11/15 Police investigation Personnel in protective coveralls and breathing equipment cover an ambulance with a tarpaulin at the Salisbury District Hospital. AFP/Getty 12/15 Police investigation The investigation extended to the grave of Sergei Skripal's son Alexander in London Road cemetery. Getty 13/15 Police investigation The Counter Terrorism Policing Network requested assistance from the military to remove a number of vehicles and objects from Salisbury. EPA 14/15 Home Secretary visits scene of attack Home Secretary Amber Rudd visited the scene of the nerve agent attack at the Maltings shopping centre on 9 March. Getty 15/15 Yulia Skripal speaks for the first time Yulia Skripal, speaking for the first time, said she felt lucky to have survived the nerve agent attack in Salisbury which left her fighting for life. Ms Skripal said her life had been “turned upside down” by the assassination attempt. But the Russian national added she hoped to return to her homeland one day, despite the Kremlin being blamed for the attack. Reuters

Mr Glushkov worked for Mr Berezovsky’s LogoVaz car company in Russia, before becoming the first deputy general director for Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot in the late 1990s.

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He served a five-year term for money laundering and fraud in Russia, then fled the country after being handed a two-year suspended sentence for fraud in 2006.

Last year, he was sentenced to eight years imprisonment and a 1 million ruble fine in absentia for allegedly defrauding Aeroflot – a case that continued at the time of his death.

Mr Glushkov, who has two children, was due to attend a commercial court hearing last Monday morning but did not arrive, sparking concerns among friends who later confirmed his death.

His body was reportedly found by his daughter, Natalia, who is believed to have made the first 999 call.

Mr Glushkov’s relatives issued a statement through Scotland Yard, saying: ”We are devastated at the loss of Nikolai and are coming to terms with our grief.“

Police have stressed that there is no evidence of a link between the murder and the nerve agent attack on Mr Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.

Detectives are appealing for information and no arrests have yet been made.

Russia’s official Investigations Committee has launched its own criminal investigations into the attempted murder of the Skripals and Mr Glushkov’s death. </s> Glushkov, sentenced in absentia in Russia to eight years in prison for embezzling from Aeroflot, died in London in mid-March. Scotland Yard reported that at that stage that it considered his death to be "mysterious." At the same time, the police said that Glushkov had been choked, and the incident had been qualified as a murder. Russian investigators opened their own probe into Glushkov's murder.

"According to UK media reports, the death of a Russian citizen occurred in very strange and mysterious circumstances immediately after the poisoning of the Skripal family. The ambassador plans to use the advice of the UK Foreign Office and request a meeting with the head of the London police in order to invite the British side to inform us in detail about the progress of the investigation. For Russia, this murder has not only criminal, but also a political dimension," the embassy said in a statement.

"The embassy is grateful for the answer, but the note does not contain any information, except for sending us to London police in case we have questions. The embassy only asked UK authorities one favor — to inform us in detail about the investigation of the death of the Russian citizen. The question has been answered neither by the police nor by the Foreign Office, which can not but cause regrets," the embassy said.

Almost a month has passed since Glushkov's death and, like with the poisoning of the Skripals, the UK side does not provide any information, the embassy noted.

"After our repeated appeals, we have nothing left but to assume that it is most likely has been done intentionally," the statement concluded.
An inquest is opened into the death of murdered Russian exiled dissident Nikolai Glushkov in London.