MOSCOW — Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko charged Tuesday that Russia has frustrated efforts to investigate a plot to kill him by dioxin poisoning during a presidential campaign in which Moscow backed his opponent.
In published remarks, Yushchenko did not explicitly accuse Russian authorities of involvement in the 2004 assassination attempt. But he implied that the dioxin came from Russia and said the Russian prosecutor general's office was protecting key Ukrainian suspects by ignoring requests for their extradition.
Yushchenko, a pro-Western leader seeking to steer Ukraine away from Moscow's influence, came close to death from the poisoning.
The president, interviewed by the British newspaper The Times and the French daily Le Figaro, said Russia has not cooperated in an effort to determine the source of the dioxin.
"Three laboratories in the world were producing dioxin of this formula," he said. "It is very easy to determine the origin of the substance; there is nothing magical about it. Two laboratories provided samples, but not the Russian side. This of course limits the possibilities of the investigation process."
London's Times reported that when asked whether Russia was responsible for his poisoning, Yushchenko replied: "If I respond to that question, then the investigation will have nothing to do. We need to question the people who had direct involvement in the case."
Yushchenko said investigators have answers to many questions. "The role of all of the individuals that might be involved in this case is already determined," he said. "The investigation knows who, when, where, which substance was used. There are three key people who are now in Russia. Ukraine has filed a request with the Russian prosecutor general's office about returning these people to Ukraine for the investigation."
Yushchenko said that although he had discussed the case directly with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, "unfortunately there is no response to this issue whatsoever from the Russian side."
Viktor S. Chernomyrdin, the Russian ambassador to Ukraine, told reporters in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, that he was "really surprised" to hear that Yushchenko had accused Russia of hindering the investigation.
"Why should we investigate it?" Chernomyrdin said, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. "You sort it out yourselves. You're always looking for someone hindering you."
