Russian tycoon Nikolai Glushkov found dead in London home WAS murdered days after spy poisoning

PUTIN critic Nikolai Glushkov was murdered just days after the Salisbury nerve agent attack, police have revealed.

The 68-year-old was found with "strangulation marks" on his neck by his daughter Natalia at home in London, on Monday.

It came just hours after Theresa May issued an ultimatum to Vladimir Putin to explain Russia's involvement in the Salisbury poisoning of Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Terror cops were treating Glushkov's death as unexplained but confirmed today a murder probe has been launched.

What we know so far:

• Police announce they are treating the death of Putin critic Nikolai Glushkov as murder
• Glushkov's daughter Natalia is believed to be in hiding after discovering her dad's dead body with strangulation marks.
• Skripal and daughter Yulia remain in a critical condition in hospital after being exposed to the nerve agent in Salisbury on March 4.
• It was claimed the nerve agent Novichok may have been planted in Yulia Skripal's suitcase.
• The row over Jeremy Corbyn's response to the spy crisis continued to escalate.
• Theresa May spoke to the leaders of Australia and Italy, who vowed to support the UK

A post mortem found Glushkov died from a compression to the neck - but have not linked the murder to the Salisbury attack.

Glushkov had links to Alexander Litvinenko's polonium “killer” Andrey Lugovoy and also to Russian dissident tycoon and former Kremlin powerbroker Boris Berezovsky.

He was found by police to have strangled himself five years ago at his home in Sunninghill, Berkshire, but later a coroner issued an open verdict on his death.

The Russian Embassy has now slammed cops in the UK for providing a "lack of information".

They said: "The embassy has no information on the beginning of the investigation into the murder of Glushkov, the British side does not respond to the request of the diplomatic mission, which is unacceptable, and we view this as a failure by the UK to fulfil its international obligations under the Vienna Convention on Consular Access."

Glushkov's daughter Natalia Glushkova, in her late 30s, is in hiding after finding his body with “strangulation marks”.

Police in protective suits were seen earlier this week carrying pitchforks and shovels inside a tented cordon around the £400,000 terraced home in New Malden.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said today: "A murder investigation has been launched following the results of a post mortem into the death of 68-year-old Russian businessman Nikolay Glushkov.

"The Met Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, which has led the investigation from the outset, is now treating Mr Glushkov’s death as murder.

"As a precaution, the command is retaining primacy for the investigation because of the associations Mr Glushkov is believed to have had.

"Mr Glushkov, a retired financial director, was a Russian national who had lived at that address for two years.

"At this stage there is nothing to suggest any link to the attempted murders in Salisbury, nor any evidence that he was poisoned."

Glushkov was the reason that Andrey Lugovoy - later identified as the killer of Putin foe Alexander Litvinenko in London - served a 14 month jail sentence in Russia.

He had been jailed himself for five years defrauding Aeroflot and came over to Britain when he was released from prison.

His death came after Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were rushed to hospital in a critical condition after being exposed to the nerve agent in Salisbury on March 4.

The Russian spy and 33-year-old Yulia were found slumped on a parked bench after enjoying a drink in a local pub and meal in Zizzi's.

Skripal's niece has since claimed that daughter Yulia could have been the real target of the nerve agent attack.

The case caused Theresa May to kick out 23 diplomats and also announce government officials and members of the Royal family would not be attending the World Cup in Russia.

The Russian Embassy has responded by calling the expulsion 'unacceptable, unjustified and shortsighted' - and said 'response measures will not be long in coming'.

Police are continuing to hunt for clues in Salisbury and extended the cordon 25 miles away to Gillingham, Dorset.

Military also swooped on the home of DS Nick Bailey in Alderholt, Dorset, over fears the cop, who is in hospital after responding to the attack, took nerve agent Novichok home with him.