Russia critics ‘will die like dogs,’ says MP accused of Litvinenko murder 

Andrey Lugovoy, a former KGB agent and current Russian MP, delivered a stark message to the country’s opposition in exile: Criticize the Kremlin, and you’ll die like dogs.

“Anyone who tries to harm their homeland, country and citizens will lose everything and die beyond the borders of our country, like a dog,” Lugovoy said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

Russian lawmakers in the State Duma (the lower chamber of the country’s parliament) on Wednesday passed the first reading of a bill allowing property to be seized from individuals convicted of discrediting or spreading falsehoods about Russia’s armed forces. The bill was approved by a 395-3 margin.

Russian courts routinely label news as “fake” if it contradicts Kremlin views about Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Even using the word “war” instead of the phrase “special military operation” carries the risk of up to 15 years imprisonment.

The bill requires two more Duma readings, a Federation Council (upper chamber) vote, and President Vladimir Putin’s signature to become law.

Lugovoy argued that Kremlin critics should face both prison and the loss of their property.

“Sitting there, having fled the country, is of course easy and pleasant. They live on the money that comes to them from Russia. But we will not allow this situation,” he said.

The MP foretold a grim fate for Russian opposition figures abroad, suggesting they “either end up with alcoholism or disappear without a trace.”

Lugovoy, along with childhood friend Dmitri Kovtun, was implicated by the U.K. in the murder of ex-Russian spy and dissident Alexander Litvinenko in 2006. Litvinenko died in London after ingesting radioactive polonium-210 in his tea at the Millennium Hotel’s Pine Bar, where he sat together with Lugovoy and Kovtun.

Lugovoy has dismissed the accusations as “absurd.”

Sergey Goryashko is hosted at POLITICO under the EU-funded EU4FreeMedia residency program.