The poisoning of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko is a matter of "utmost gravity", the judge leading the inquiry into his death has said.
Sir Robert Owen said Mr Litvinenko's death from radiation poisoning in London in 2006 had attracted "worldwide interest and concern".
Two prior attempts had been made on Mr Litvinenko's life, the BBC has learned.
He had fled to the UK where he became a fierce critic of the Kremlin and worked for MI6.
Mr Litvinenko's widow Marina says he blamed the Kremlin as he lay dying in hospital, but Russia denies any involvement.
Her lawyer has described his murder as "an act of state-sponsored nuclear terrorism on the streets of London".
BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera earlier said investigators had followed a radioactive trail across London and it suggested Mr Litvinenko was poisoned not on the first attempt, but on the third.
InvitationsMr Litvinenko died in hospital nearly three weeks after he drank tea laced with radioactive polonium-210, following a meeting with two former Russian agents at the Millennium Hotel in central London.
UK police identified two suspects in the case - Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun - but both deny any involvement and remain in Russia.
The judge-led inquiry was officially opened by Sir Robert Owen at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Sir Robert said both suspects had been invited to give evidence via videolink from Russia.
The senior judge said polonium could have been used to "kill large numbers of people or spread general panic and hysteria among the public".
"The issues to which his death gives rise are of the utmost gravity and have attracted worldwide interest and concern," he said.
Sir Robert said sensitive evidence had established there was a "prima facie case" as to the culpability of the Russian state in Mr Litvinenko's death.
The judge was originally appointed as the coroner at Mr Litvinenko's inquest but he called for a public inquiry because the inquest could not consider sensitive evidence due to national security fears.
The UK government resisted the move at first but later changed its stance last July, amid worsening relations with Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine.
The Litvinenko case- 23 Nov 2006 - Litvinenko, 43, dies three weeks after having tea with former agents Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun in London
- 24 Nov 2006 - His death is attributed to polonium-210
- 22 May 2007 - Britain's director of public prosecutions decides Mr Lugovoi should be charged with the murder of Mr Litvinenko
- 31 May 2007 - Mr Lugovoi denies any involvement in his death but says Mr Litvinenko was a British spy
- 5 Jul 2007 - Russia officially refuses to extradite Mr Lugovoi, saying its constitution does not allow it
- May-June 2013 - Inquest into Mr Litvinenko's death delayed as coroner decides a public inquiry would be preferable, as it would be able to hear some evidence in secret
- July 2013 - Ministers rule out public inquiry
- Jan 2014 - Marina Litvinenko in High Court fight to force a public inquiry
- 11 Feb 2014 - High Court says the Home Office had been wrong to rule out an inquiry before the outcome of an inquest
- July 2014 - Public inquiry announced by Home Office
- January 2015 - Inquiry starts. Judge expects to conclude open hearings by early April and report before end of 2015
BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera: Will inquiry find answers?
Counsel to the inquiry Robin Tam QC said many theories had been put forward about what happened to Mr Litvinenko, including he had committed suicide and accidentally poisoned himself when handling the radioactive substance as part of a smuggling deal.
"As we shall hear over the coming weeks, for some of these theories, there is considerable supporting evidence, for others less, and for yet others none at all," he said.
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