Yard detectives are preparing to travel to Moscow to investigate the shooting of a Russian banker in London, amid fears he will not survive.
German Gorbuntsov, gunned down outside his Canary Wharf apartment block, is now battling for life after his condition dramatically worsened.
The financier, 45, has developed peritonitis where he was hit by four bullets fired by a hooded gunman in the apparent assassination bid on March 20.
A source close to his family, who are in a bedside vigil with his wife Larisa, 45, said today: “He is in a serious condition and is fighting for life.”
Mr Gorbuntsov is under armed guard in an undisclosed London hospital. A woman with him moments after he was shot — Natasha Semchenkova, 23 — is also under police protection.
The banker fled Russia fearing for his life in 2010. His lawyers claim he was attacked after telling Moscow police about a contract killing bid.
Sources in Moscow say Russian and UK authorities have arranged for Met investigators to quiz potential suspects about his shooting. These are likely to include former business associates.
