LONDON • British police have launched a murder probe into the death of Russian exile Nikolai Glushkov in London, after a post-mortem examination found he died from "compression to the neck".

"A murder investigation has been launched following the results of a post-mortem into the death of 68-year-old Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov," London's Metropolitan Police said on Friday.

The retired Russian executive was found dead last Monday evening at his home in south-west London, where he had lived for two years.

"A special post-mortem began on Thursday and we received the pathologist report today (Friday), which gave the cause of death as compression to the neck," police said in a statement.

The Glushkov family's lawyer, Ms Elena Tsirlina, said they had been informed of the murder probe but would not be commenting on the case.

Mr Glushkov received political asylum in Britain after being jailed in Russia for money laundering and fraud.

He was linked to late Kremlin opponent Boris Berezovsky, an oligarch and one-time supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was found hanged in his home outside London in 2013. His death is now one of a number being re-examined by the British authorities.

The Russian embassy in London last week said it had asked Britain for details of Mr Glushkov's death.

Britain's murder probe was launched shortly after Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, announced its own investigation into the death of Mr Glushkov.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE