Andrei Lugovoi, who is wanted in Britain for the murder of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko, confirmed on Sunday that he intends to run for parliament on the ultra-nationalist LDPR party's ticket.
"I confirm the words of LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who said that I have accepted the offer to be on the party's election list," the former KGB officer was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.
The list is due to be formally approved at the LDPR party conference in Moscow on Monday ahead of parliamentary elections in December. Zhirinovsky earlier put forward Lugovoi as a candidate, saying he "has suffered, been targeted by British secret services."
Lugovoi is suspected by British investigators of poisoning Litvinenko in London last year using a radioactive substance that was found in numerous locations around the city.
He has denied any involvement and has alleged that Litvinenko, a high-profile Kremlin critic who fled to London, was working for Britain's secret services and that they may have played a role in his murder.
Russia has opened its own inquiry into the murder of Litvinenko but has not charged anyone over the killing and has refused to extradite Lugovoi, citing a constitutional ban on the extradition of Russian citizens.
As a member of the Russian parliament, Lugovoi would be immune from prosecution. Under Russian law, immunity can only be lifted if members of parliament approve a special request from prosecutors.
Lugovoi has acquired celebrity status in Russia after Moscow's refusal to extradite him to London sparked a high-profile diplomatic row between Britain and Russia, including tit-for-tax expulsions of diplomats.
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