Russia's chief prosecutor says he has launched new criminal proceedings against the exiled tycoon Boris Berezovsky, who lives in London.

Earlier, Mr Berezovsky said he was plotting a "revolution" to overthrow Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Prosecutor-general Yuri Chaika said Mr Berezovsky's comments, made to the British newspaper the Guardian, were grounds for a criminal prosecution.

Mr Berezovsky was granted political asylum in Britain in 2003.

He told The Guardian that "we need to use force to change this regime" - referring to President Putin's administration in the Kremlin.

Undermined

He also said he was giving financial support to unnamed members of Russia's political elite who wanted to force a change of leadership in Moscow.

The Kremlin said the comments undermined Mr Berezovsky's right to refugee status in Britain.

Mr Berezovsky has a fortune estimated at £800m ($1.4bn).

Previously an ally of the former President, Boris Yeltsin, he has already fought off Russian extradition requests on fraud charges which he said were politically motivated.

He was one of the first targets of President Putin's crackdown on the Russian oligarchs - well-connected entrepreneurs who made fortunes during privatisation - and went into self-imposed exile abroad at the end of 2000.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov again called on Britain to extradite Mr Berezovsky and said he should be stripped of his refugee status.

Russian people 'violated'

Speaking to the BBC on Friday, Mr Berezovsky explained why he was considering a violent transfer of power in Russia.

"Of course I'd prefer it to be peaceful - I don't like violence. But the problem is that, for centuries, the Russian authorities have been violating the Russian people, turning it into cattle. Take a quick look at what's being shown on Russian state television - any channel - and you'll see that, under the cover of being "the legitimate authorities", they're violating the Russian people!

"Therefore, unfortunately, I can't say that this revolution will be without blood. But I tell you - it will happen, with 100% certainty," Mr Berezovsky said.

The BBC's Russia analyst Steven Eke says Mr Putin continues to enjoy approval ratings of well over 80% in Russia and a majority of Russians would welcome him staying in office beyond his constitutional limit of two terms.

Mr Berezovsky, on the other hand, is a public hate figure in Russia, our analyst says.

Mr Putin has not only consolidated his own grip, but also surrounded himself by like-minded people, drawn overwhelmingly from a security service background, whose loyalty has never been questioned.

(BBC)