Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky found dead

The exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky has been found dead at his home outside London.

The circumstances of the death of the 67-year-old - a wanted man in Russia, and an opponent of President Vladimir Putin - are not yet known.
A former Kremlin power-broker whose fortunes declined under Mr Putin, Mr Berezovsky emigrated to the UK in 2000.

Thames Valley Police said it was investigating the death of a 67-year-old man in Ascot, Berkshire.

Last year, Mr Berezovsky lost a £3bn ($4.7bn) damages claim against Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich.

Mr Berezovsky claimed he had been intimidated by Mr Abramovich into selling shares in Russian oil giant Sibneft for a "fraction of their true worth".

The allegations were completely rejected by the London Commercial Court judge, who called Mr Berozovsky an "inherently unreliable" witness.

There have been unconfirmed reports that Mr Berezovsky was depressed after the loss of the court case and was under financial pressure.

The tycoon's wealth is thought to have considerably diminished in recent years, leaving him struggling to pay debts in the wake of costly court cases.

Boris Berezovsky was one of the first Russian oligarchs - that tiny group of tycoons who embraced the end of communism, and used their connections to strike rich almost overnight.

While millions of Russians slid into poverty, Berezovsky went into business - he sold cars, bought a stake in Russia's main TV channel, the national airline Aeroflot and an oil company. And as part of "the family" - the tight inner circle around the ailing Russian president Boris Yeltsin - he wielded huge influence in Yeltsin's Russia.

But Vladimir Putin was a very different president - a Kremlin leader who would not countenance any businessman telling him how to run Russia.

Berezovsky fell foul of the Kremlin and fled to London where he was granted political asylum.

Mr Berezovsky survived numerous assassination attempts, including a bomb that decapitated his chauffeur.

In his self-imposed exile in the UK, Mr Berezovsky became one of Mr Putin's fiercest critics.

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