Boris Berezovsky, the Russian billionaire and fierce critic of Vladimir Putin, has been formally accused by Russian authorities of plotting a coup.

His lawyer, Andrei Borovkov, told Reuters: “[Mr Berezovsky] has been charged with conspiring to seize power in a violent coup.”

He added that the charge, brought by Russia’s FSB secret service, related to an interview Mr Berezovsky gave to The Guardian newspaper in which he was quoted as saying force was needed to bring about a change of power in Russia.

A spokesman for the FSB, a successor organisation to the KGB secret service, declined to confirm the charges, according to Reuters.

Mr Berezovsky, who lives in Britain where he was granted political asylum in 2003, said he was confident he would not be extradited to Russia.

Russian authorities, who have also accused Mr Berezovsky of corruption, have been pressing for his extradition for several years.

In the interview, Berezovsky said: “We need to use force to change this regime ... It isn’t possible to change this regime through democratic means. There can be no change without force, pressure.”

Asked if he was fomenting a revolution, he replied: “You are absolutely correct.”

Mr Berezovsky subsequently issued a statement in which he insisted he was not advocating a violent uprising.

Alex Goldfarb, a close associate of Mr Berezovsky, told Reuters that the charges were “designed to distract attention” away from the case of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian spy who died in London last year after being poisoned with radioactive polonium.

Mr Berezovsky has accused Russian authorities of murdering him. The Kremlin denies this and has accused Mr Berezovsky of using the case to discredit Mr Putin and the Russian government.

In a separate case, Mr Berezovsky is being tried in absentia on embezzlement charges.

He faces up to 10 years in jail if convicted of embezzling 214 million roubles (£4.2 million) from Russia’s national airline, Aeroflot.

At the first court hearing in Moscow earlier today, Mr Berezovsky’s lawyers said they would not take part in the case.

The court was adjourned until July 12, by which time Mr Berezovsky will have been given a state-appointed lawyer.

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