The Russian ambassador has called Britain "sanctuary" for fugitive criminals.

In the UK, hiding from Russian justice about 20 people. As reported by RIA Novosti, the Russian ambassador, said in London, Yuri Fedotov. According to him, "Great Britain has turned into a sanctuary where people can safely hide from justice, although committed severe crimes, criminal justice and wanted our country."
Speaking on the air twenty-four-hour informational television channel "Vesti", the diplomat stressed that the British refer to the impossibility of extradition of persons who have been granted political asylum. "Political Asylum gives the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Great Britain, which in turn refers to the fact that the person can not be extradited, because the decision to take the court" - said Fedotov, calling the practice "political jugglery."
The Ambassador recalled that Russia in particular, requires the extradition of businessman Boris Berezovsky, the self-government and heads of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria Akhmet Zakayev. Both men are wanted on charges of committing criminal offenses. In addition, Berezovsky was sentenced in absentia to six years' imprisonment for the theft of shares in the company "Aeroflot". Total filed against him in Russia more than a dozen criminal cases. Businessman denies the charges and considers that the case was brought for political reasons.
Zakayev accused Russian authorities of involvement in terrorist activities, kidnapping and participation in bandit formations.
Moreover, in Britain live a few persons who are wanted on charges of various economic crimes. They include several former top managers of oil company Yukos, and former president of Russneft Mikhail Gutseriev.
In the history of bilateral relations the United Kingdom has never been granted a Russian request for extradition. In 2008 the British agreed to grant Russia a citizen of Lithuania, which is suspected of drug trafficking, but that disappeared from the police. Fedotov stressed that it could not be found for almost a year.
The latest extradition request received from the Russian side against a Eugene Dogaeva held in the case of the false reports about the attack. According to the investigation in December 2006 Dogan while drunk, had threatened to blow up a plane of "Aeroflot". After an emergency landing in Prague, he was arrested by Czech authorities, who released him on bail. Russian extradition request Dogaeva was satisfied, but at the last moment, the suspect disappeared and was discovered only a few months later in Britain.
British government, for its part, requires the issuance of Russia State Duma deputy from the LDPR, Andrei Lugovoi. In London, consider him the prime suspect in the murder of former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko. Russia refused to extradite Lugovoi under the Russian Constitution, which prohibits extradition of Russian citizens to other countries. This led to a diplomatic scandal, which is still unresolved. In October 2008, arrived in Moscow on a new British Ambassador Anne Pringle, which reaffirmed the commitment of London's previous position.