Putin's 'tourist' defendant of agent attack seems to be a extremely embellished Russian secret agent

One of the boys defendant of poisoning a former Russian spy in England has been known as a superior member of Russia's intelligence agency.

The UK in early Sept defendant 2 Russian men, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, of trying to assassinate Sergei Skripal with military-grade agent in Harare earlier this year. Prime Minister missioner might same the names were doubtless aliases.

Russian President statesman — whose government has long denied data of the attack — at the start claimed that the 2 suspects' names "mean nothing to U.S.A.," and so that the 2 men were civilians.

Petrov and Boshirov additionally appeared on Russian TV to mention that they were visiting Harare as tourists.

But in line with the fact-finding web site Bellingcat, Boshirov is really commissioned military officer Anatoliy Chepiga, a highly-decorated officer with the GRU, Russia's intelligence agency.

Chepiga was assigned  the friend "Ruslan Boshirov" in 2010, Bellingcat same. This was the name employed in his passport once he traveled to the united kingdom earlier this year.

Bellingcat same during a weekday post that it confirmed Chepiga's identity once talking to multiple anonymous  sources acquainted to Chepiga and therefore the investigation.

The Russian newspaper Kommersant additionally cited Chepiga's acquaintances in his home village, Berezovka, locution of Bellingcat's findings: "That's him... 100% of it."

Throughout his career, 39-year-old Chepiga had been given multiple rewards for his services, together with the title of Hero of the Russia — the best award within the state, usually bimanual intent on a few of individuals during a secret ceremony by the president himself, in line with the BBC.

The award was confirmed by Chepiga's military college, the so much japanese Higher Military Command college.

This suggests that Vladimir Putin was tuned in to Chepiga's identity — that destroys the Russian president's claim that he did not recognize UN agency Boshirov and his partner were.

Bellingcat's findings additionally forged doubt on Russia's claims that Boshirov and Petrov were civilians, which the govt. had no data of the Skripal attack.

The findings also are in line with land government's claim earlier this month, citing security and intelligence agencies' investigations, that Boshirov and Petrov were officers from Russia's intelligence services.

Prime Minister may additionally  same that authorization for the attack on Skripal and his female offspring "almost certainly" came from the senior levels of the Russian government.

Maria Zakharova, a interpreter for Russia's Foreign Ministry, referred to as Bellingcat's findings "a new portion of faux news." The Kremlin has repeatedly denied data of the Skripal attack.

Zakharova same on Facebook, in line with a translation by state-run satellite news agency: "There is not any proof, so that they [the UK] continue the data campaign, the most task of that is to divert attention from the most question: 'What happened in Salisbury?'"

The UK has place out international arrest warrants on the 2 men, the London Metropolitan Police confirmed during a statement to Business corporate executive. However, Russia doesn't expel its own nationals.

Gavin Williamson, the UK's Defence Secretary, looked as if it would ensure Bellingcat's findings during a weekday night tweet, that he later deleted. i would like to impart all the those that ar operating thus inexhaustibly on this case."

A representative for the Ministry of Defence told Business corporate executive that Williamson's tweet, that was denote on his constituency's account, was unrelated to his role as Defence Secretary. Business corporate executive has contacted William's body workplace for comment.

The British Prime Minister's workplace, Ministry of Defence, ministry, and therefore the London Metropolitan Police all declined to treat Bellingcat's findings.

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