Widow of poisoned Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko says she is 'very proud' of hundreds of Russians who marched on their own embassy in London against Ukraine war

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The widow of poisoned Russian defector Alexander Litvinenko has said she is 'very proud' of hundreds of Russians who marched on their own country's embassy in central London to mark the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.

Marina Litvinenko, 61, said the anti-war protest proved that not all Russians supported the barbaric actions of Vladimir Putin, who she labelled a 'war criminal'.

Waving Ukrainian flags, the demonstrators chanted: 'Victory for Ukraine, freedom for Russia', and: 'Stop Putin, stop the war' as they walked from Marble Arch to the embassy in Kensington to protest against the war.

Mrs Litvinenko told the PA news agency: 'I'm very proud to see this big crowd of Russian people. They've all been very loud in saying how they support Ukraine and how they hate Putin because he is why they might need to have left the country.

'When we talk about Putin now we are talking about a person who started a war but he has committed a lot of crimes against individuals, countries and people.

Marina Litvinenko (pictured) said the anti-war protest proved that not all Russians supported the barbaric actions of Vladimir Putin

Hundreds gather for a vigil outside the Russian embassy in Kensington, London, yesterday evening

Alexander Litvinenko (pictured) was a former KGB spy who died in November 2006 following the presence of the radioactive polonium-210 in his body. 'I believe [Vladimir Putin] gave the order,' Marina Litvinenko said

'He killed my husband Alexander. I believe he gave the order and he has now killed a lot of innocent Ukrainians.'

She added: 'We need to be proud to speak the Russian language. We need to use the Russian language to say Slava Ukraini - glory to Ukraine - and say in Russian: 'Putin is a criminal'. This is very important. Not all of Russia supports this war.'

The story of Mr Litvinenko's death was depicted in the ITV mini-series Litvinenko in December last year, with Mark Bonnar and David Tennant starring alongside Russian-America actress Margarita Levieva, who played Mrs Litvinenko.

The road outside the embassy remains stained in the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag after activist group Led by Donkeys poured 170 litres of paint on it on Thursday.

One man held a poster mocking a packet of cigarettes that read: 'Putin kills', while another cardboard placard that carried pictures of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny read: 'Without victory there can be no survival'.

The crowd then heard speeches from Mrs Litvinenko, opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky and financier Bill Browder, among others.

Mr Browder, who leads the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, which is seeking democracy in Russia, told PA the number of Russians present at the demonstration was 'unprecedented'.

He said: 'Everybody talks about how the Russians are brainwashed. These people aren't brainwashed. These are Russian citizens and Russian emigres who are saying that Putin's murderous war in Ukraine is not OK.

Marina Litvinenko, 61, said the anti-war protest proved that not all Russians supported the barbaric actions of Vladimir Putin, who she labelled a 'war criminal'

Supporters and members of the Ukrainian community carry a large flag as they mark the one year of Russia's war against Ukraine with a candlelight march from Holland Park to the Russian Embassy on February 24, 2023

'He killed my husband Alexander. I believe he gave the order and he has now killed a lot of innocent Ukrainians,' Marina Litvinenko (pictured right) said today

People hold up placards outside the Russian Embassy as Ukrainian community organizations mark the one year of Russia's war against Ukraine

'What it tells you is that Putin's brainwashing doesn't work outside of his own propaganda bubble inside Russia. These people know the truth and they know the truth is horrific.

'What Putin is doing is criminal, murderous and disgusting, and they don't want it in their name.'

He added: 'I think the number of people here is absolutely unprecedented. There were a number of Russians before who may have been upset about Putin but didn't want to come out on the streets. But what he's doing in Ukraine requires people to come out on the street.'

The protesters flew the flags of Ukraine and the Russian democracy movement, which replaces the bottom red stripe of the Russian flag with a white stripe.

Placards on display read: 'No to bloody Russian imperialism', while one showed the face of Russian president Vladimir Putin captioned with: 'War criminal'.

The protesters also chanted 'Russians against the war', 'hands off Ukraine' and 'jets for Ukraine' as they walked.

Ksenia Maximova, the founder of the Russian Democratic Society (RDS), which organised the protest, said in her speech: 'This is a time for action and time to come together. Putin's government spent years instilling hate in people's hearts.

'We are more united than ever. We are now in nearly every country and growing stronger by the day.'

The RDS was founded in the aftermath of the invasion and has raised more than £18,000 to send generators to Ukraine to limit the impact of blackouts.

It has also donated more than £10,000 to refugee shelters in Kazakhstan, Armenia and Montenegro.

People hold flags, during a march organized by the Russian Democratic Society, outside the Russian Embassy, to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

A woman holds up a placard saying '461 Kids Killed, Help Ukraine!'

Protesters including Russian citizens living in the UK gather outside the Russian Embassy after a march through central London to show solidarity with Ukraine on February 25, 2023

Woman join members of the Russian Democratic Society, a group of Russian citizens living in the UK, to stage a protest outside the Russian embassy in London

Earlier today pro-Ukraine counter-protesters led by campaigner Peter Tatchell clashed in central London with activists demanding Britain stops supplying weapons to the country.

Mr Tatchell shouted 'Chamberlain' - a reference to prime minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasing Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime - in reply to protesters who angrily accused him of being an 'American stooge'.

He was one of a group of 30 who interrupted a rally by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and Stop the War coalition outside the BBC's Broadcasting House.

His fellow protesters chanted 'arm, arm, arm Ukraine, put an end to Putin's reign' and 'self-defence is no offence'.

Mr Tatchell told the PA news agency: 'We're here to protest Stop the War over its opposition to Ukraine. Their stance would leave Ukraine defenceless and result in Russia occupying and annexing all of Ukraine.

'Russia is a fascist, imperialist state, and all progressive people should oppose the Putin regime and Russia's war of aggression.

'We should arm Ukraine in the same way that we armed anti-Nazi resistance during the Second World War. This is a war between Ukrainian democracy and Russian fascism.'

Peter Tatchell holds a placard with demonstrators in support of arming Ukraine

Peter Tatchell and pro-Ukraine supporters during a demonstration where they are calling to arm Ukraine for their fight against Russia

His group held a banner reading 'Victory to Ukraine, arm Ukraine to defeat Russian imperialism'.

CND and Stop the War claim Russia's invasion was partially caused by 'Nato expansion' in eastern Europe.

Their protesters held placards saying 'Peace now!', 'No to War' and 'Wages not Weapons', with one man flying an inflatable anvil that read: 'Is this anvil really cast iron? Are the Biden gang's alibis?'