Associates of exiled Russian oligarch and Kremlin critic Boris Berezovsky, who was found dead Saturday, questioned claims that he had begged President Vladimir Putin for forgiveness, but said he had been depressed and suicidal.
Berezovsky, who helped Putin rise to power but then fled Russia as the strongman cracked down on politically ambitious oligarchs, was found dead in his mansion near London on Saturday afternoon. Putin's spokesman told state television that Berezovsky had recently written to Putin saying he wanted to go home and asking "forgiveness for his mistakes."
"This letter was addressed to Putin personally. I don't know if he will want to publish the full text," Dmitry Peskov told the Interfax news agency on Sunday, adding that he had seen the letter but did not know whether Putin had ever answered it.