The man wanted in Britain for the murder of the Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko could become the next mayor of the Russian Olympic city of Sochi.

Andrei Lugovoy is likely to become the candidate for the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) in elections in the Black Sea resort that will host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Sochi is the centre of a $6 billion construction project overseen by Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister, who presented its bid to the International Olympic Committee and has taken personal charge of making the Games a success.

Mr Lugovoy, a former KGB officer and Kremlin bodyguard, confirmed to The Times today that he was likely to stand in the election on April 26. The party would make a final decision next week, he said, but its spokeswoman, Viktoria Sotnikova, said his candidacy "has been 100 per cent decided".
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"Since Sochi will host the Olympic Games in 2014, and great attention is being paid to preparations for this event, the city's mayor, among other officials, will bear responsibility to a certain extent," said Mr Lugovoy, 42. 

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