(PHOTO: Alexander Litvinenko ... before and after being poisoned)

Former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, who had been fighting for his life in recent days after an apparent poisoning, has died.

In an interview with The Times newspaper just hours before he slipped into unconsciousness, Mr Litvinenko whispered: "The bastards got me, but they won't get everybody", the Press Association reported.

The Kremlin said on Friday the ex-spy's death was a "tragedy" but was now a matter for British police to investigate.

Litvinenko, a fierce critic of Putin, first began to feel ill on November 1, after having tea with two Russians at a central London hotel, followed by lunch at a London sushi bar with an Italian academic.

One of the Russians and the Italian have said that they will give statements to British embassies in Moscow and Rome respectively, but police were reportedly searching for the other Russian - identified only as "Vladimir" - who they see as central to their investigation.