Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky called for the use of force to oust President Vladimir Putin's government and claimed he has support from members of the country's political elite, a British newspaper reported Friday.
Russia reacted swiftly to the prominent Kremlin foe's remarks.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Berezovsky was abusing his asylum status in Britain and renewed calls for his extradition, while the chief prosecutor ordered a new criminal case opened against him, Russian news agencies reported.
In an apparent effort to foment political unrest ahead of elections, the exiled billionaire claimed he was funding influential insiders who are conspiring to take power, according to the Guardian newspaper.
"We need to use force to change this regime, because … this regime is unconstitutional," Berezovsky said in an audio excerpt posted on the Guardian's website.
Berezovsky — a former Kremlin insider who fell out with Putin and fled to Britain, where he was granted asylum — accused the Russian president of creating a totalitarian regime. In the audio clip, he said that "there is no chance to change that through elections, and [the] only way [is] to use power."
According to the Guardian, Berezovsky claimed to be in contact with unidentified members of Russia's political leadership and had offered them financial aid as well as "my understanding of how it could be done."
He did not identify any individuals or groups, but the Guardian said Berezovsky claimed to be in contact with people inside the Kremlin who were conspiring to mount a palace coup. In the past, Berezovsky has said he has bankrolled opposition forces rather than government insiders.
"If one part of the political elite disagrees with another part of the political elite — that is the only way in Russia to change the regime. I try to move that," the Guardian quoted Berezovsky as saying.
The Guardian interview comes amid rising tensions ahead of parliamentary elections in December and a presidential vote next March to replace Putin. Under the constitution, Putin is barred from seeking a third consecutive term.
Putin has signed laws that critics say have rolled back democracy and are designed to ensure the current Kremlin leadership retains power following the presidential election.
Berezovsky's remarks provoked new calls from the Russian government for Britain to extradite the tycoon for prosecution.
State-run Rossiya television quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying Berezovsky's remarks could be considered a crime under Russian law and that Britain should not provide asylum to anyone seeking to change the Russian government by force.
Lavrov said Russia has long been asking Britain to revoke his asylum status, adding that "he is conducting actions that, under British law, demand his handover," the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
Refugee status in Britain
Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika said he had ordered authorities to open a new criminal case against Berezovsky because the remarks contain "calls for the violent seizure of power," RIA-Novosti reported.
Britain granted Berezovsky refugee status in 2003, turning down an earlier Russian extradition request. Russian prosecutors renewed the effort last year, but a British judge ruled that he could not be extradited because his asylum status meant he was protected by the Geneva Conventions.
Berezovsky said in another recorded statement on the Guardian's website that his efforts to oust the current Kremlin leadership are legal and that he does not fear Russian prosecution. However, he said he fears for the safety of his contacts in Russia, accusing Putin's government of killing those it considers enemies.
Berezovsky said it was unlikely he would be extradited following the mysterious death last November of Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB officer who was poisoned with a radioactive substance.
On his deathbed, Litvinenko accused Putin of ordering his poisoning but cited no evidence. Russian authorities have denied involvement.
There has been widespread speculation in the West that Litvinenko was killed by Russian agents, acting on their own or with official sanction, possibly as punishment for the relentless criticism of Putin.
Russian news media and officials have repeatedly suggested that Berezovsky could have ordered the poisoning himself, perhaps to discredit Putin and his government.
Berezovsky — who once controlled an oil, automobiles and media empire — gained a reputation for ruthlessness in the 1990s when he became one of Russia's wealthiest tycoons in the chaotic and often violent post-Soviet period
04-15-2007, 07:12 PM
Russian billionaire calls for ouster of Putin:
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