Britain’s relations with Russia could plunge to their lowest level since the Cold War because of the legal stand-off created by the murder charge brought against Andrei Lugovoy.

While both governments insist that the murder of Alexander Litvinenko and subsequent investigations are purely legal matters, the political fallout is likely to be huge.

Only minutes after the Crown Prosecution Service made its announcement, Yuri Fedotov, the Russian ambassador, was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Sir Peter Ricketts, the permanent under-secretary of state, delivered a message from Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary who is travelling in the Far East. She said that Britain expected “full co-operation” in bringing the suspect to justice.

“These points were made strongly to the Russian ambassador when he was called into the Foreign Office today," she said. Similar language was used by Downing Street to emphasise the seriousness of the case.

At the Kremlin, the British moves will be regarded as a veiled threat that relations cannot return to normal while the case remains open.

Russia has not yet responded formally but it is likely to reject the British demands out of hand. Moscow is expected to say that Russian citizens cannot be extradited for trial abroad. It will point out that Britain is harbouring wanted Russian criminals, including a Chechen leader accused of terrorism. It will insist that its own criminal investigation into the Litvinenko murder is still underway.

Russia under President Putin is in unforgiving mood. It is currently in dispute with America over Washington’s plans to place anti-missile systems in eastern Europe. It is involved in fractious rows with Poland over meat exports, Estonia over a war memorial and Georgia over the country’s pro-Western government.

Last weekend Mr Putin hosted a bad-tempered summit with European Union leaders, who criticised Moscow’s crackdown on the opposition.

Arguably the Litvinenko case is the most potentially damaging. The implications are that Russia is acting recklessly by hunting down and murdering its opponents with a highly toxic poison. In the case of Litvinenko, the victim was a British citizen living in London where scores of people were infected by the deadly polonium-210.

Hopes that Russia will moderate its attitude towards the opposition and the West are unlikely to be fulfilled. There is political turmoil in the country as it prepares the hand over of leadership from Mr Putin to his successor. Evidence suggests that the country is becoming more nationalistic and insular.

Today’s announcement in London will only add to the sense of hostility.

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