Russian businessman and self-exiled Kremlin critic Boris Berezovsky has dismissed fears over his alleged poisoning in Britain saying he feels normal.
"In fact, everything is normal, it was just a strange thing when I suddenly felt ill, with high blood pressure and so on. In my age (65 years), such deviations are acceptable, but I had nothing like this before and I thought this was strange," Berezovsky said in an interview with the Moscow-based Ekho Moskvy radio station.
A medical examination "showed that there is no poisoning," he said. The businessman said however it was better to be on the safe side as there had been several attempts on his life before.
Earlier on Sunday, Daily Mail reported that British police and radiation experts have launched an investigation after Berezovsky was hit by a mystery illness at his house in Britain.
The businessman, who has been in self-exile in London since 2000, felt sick for a fortnight and flew to Israel for a check-up by his personal doctors but was given the medical all-clear, the newspaper said.
The report said Berezovsky "may have been the victim of a radioactive poisoning attack similar to that which killed his close friend, former Russian KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, in 2006."
The traces of polonium were found at Berezovsky's offices shortly after the death of Litvinenko, Daily Mail said. On his deathbed, Litvinenko accused then Russian president Vladimir Putin of orchestrating his death, which the Kremlin strongly denied.
The case soured the relations between Russia and Britain.
In 2007, Britain accused Russian citizen Andrei Lugovoi of poisoning Litvinenko, who had received a political refuge in Britain, with radioactive polonium and requested Moscow to extradite him for prosecution.
Russia has refused to meet the request, while reiterating its demand that Britain extradite London-based tycoon Berezovsky, wanted in Russia on charges of fraud and plotting a coup.
MOSCOW, February 27 (RIA Novosti)
