Russian Embassy: UK Spy Agencies Involved in Incidents With Russian Nationals

Coroner Nicholas Hilliard, conducting an inquest into the death of Russian businessman Alexander Perepilichny, on Tuesday, granted the request by Home Secretary Sajid Javid that publicly releasing documents from British security agencies MI5 and MI6 relating to Perepilichny would lead to "a real risk of serious harm to national security."

"Regarding the link between Perepilichny and the British intelligence services, it would be logical to assume that the very fact of classifying data about this only confirms that the businessman cooperated with them, and if so, then we are dealing with a vivid manifestation of the familiar handwriting of the British security services in "work" with their Russian-speaking agents in the UK," the official said.

READ MORE: Perepilichnyy Inquest: Lawyer Demands to Know Was He or Wasn't He a British Spy?

Perepilichnyy died on November 10, 2012, when he collapsed after returning to his mansion in Weybridge, Surrey, after a jog. UK media reports suggested at the time he had been poisoned with gelsemium elegans, a toxin known as "heartbreak grass", but when the inquest resumed in April this year the Central Criminal Court in London heard there had been no traces of any plant toxins in Perepilichnyy's body.

An official connected numerous incidents with Russian nationals in the UK with the involvement of British security agencies.

"The result of this cooperation is usually the death or attempt on the life of our fellow citizens, with the subsequent closure of information and attempts to shift responsibility on Russia. It is the most plausible explanation for the many mysterious incidents involving Russian citizens in the United Kingdom," he added.