Controversial Russian State Duma Deputy Organizes Siberian Protest

Andrei Lugovoi, who is wanted in Britain for his alleged involvement in the murder in 2006 of former Russian Federal Security Service agent Aleksandr Litvinenko.

IRKUTSK, Russia -- Dozens of members of Russia's Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) picketed the local government building in the southeastern Siberian city of Irkutsk in a protest over utilities, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.

The protesters demanded the resignation of the regional Legislative Assembly's chief of staff, Nikolai Pushkar.

Russian State Duma deputy Andrei Lugovoi, who organized the protest on December 3, accuses Pushkar of obstructing his queries about problems with water supplies and heating in the town of Bratsk and the village of Yanal.

The Legislative Assembly's press service told journalists today the LDPR protest was prompted by political considerations, not problems with basic utilities in the region.

Andrei Lugovoi, a former KGB agent, is wanted in Britain for his alleged involvement in the murder in 2006 of former Russian Federal Security Service agent Aleksandr Litvinenko.

Litvinenko, a British citizen and outspoken critic of then Russian President Vladimir Putin, died of polonium poisoning weeks after meeting with Lugovoi in London.

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