Russia denies German plane radiation check request

MOSCOW, Dec 14 (Reuters) Germany, which is conducting inquiries linked to the death of the Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko, has asked Russia for radiation checks on Aeroflot planes that have flown to Hamburg over the past two months.

But a spokeswoman for the Russian airline said today that Russia's consumer standards watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, had decided no more checks were necessary: ''We check all the planes on a continuous basis and nothing untoward was found.'' Litvinenko died in London on November 23 after receiving a lethal dose of radioactive polonium-210.

German prosecutors are investigating an associate of Litvinenko, Russian businessman Dmitry Kovtun, on suspicion of illegally handling radioactive material after traces of polonium were found in properties he had used in Hamburg.

The type of radiation emitted by polonium is extremely hard to detect. Low levels of a radioactive substance have been found on two British Airways aircraft that had flown to and from a number of destinations around Europe, including Moscow.

Litvinenko accused Russian President Vladimir Putin from his deathbed of ordering his killing but the Kremlin has denied involvement.

REUTERS BDP BST1927