This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45656004

The article has changed 13 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
GRU colonel Chepiga revealed as Skripal suspect's 'real identity' Skripal suspect 'was made Hero of Russia' by President Putin
(about 5 hours later)
An investigative journalism website has published what it says is the real identity of one of the Russian intelligence officers suspected of the Salisbury nerve agent poisoning. A Russian man accused of the Salisbury poisoning is a military officer who received an honour from Vladimir Putin, an investigative website has revealed.
The Bellingcat group claims the man who was named as Ruslan Boshirov is actually Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga. Following the attempted poisoning in March, UK investigators identified one of the two suspects as Ruslan Boshirov.
British officials have not commented. The BBC understands there is no dispute over the identification. President Putin claimed Boshirov was a civilian, and on Russian TV, he himself said he visited Salisbury as a tourist.
UK investigators have said Mr Boshirov was a Russian intelligence officer. But the website Bellingcat says he is actually an intelligence officer by the name of Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga.
It was thought he travelled to the UK on a false passport, under a pseudonym, with another Russian national who used the name Alexander Petrov. British officials have not commented, but the BBC understands there is no dispute over the identification.
Ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned by Novichok in March. The pair survived but Dawn Sturgess - a woman not connected to the original attack - died in July after being exposed to the same substance. Chepiga has served in Chechnya and Ukraine was made a "Hero of the Russian Federation" in 2014.
The latest development comes as a member of activist punk group Pussy Riot, Pyotr Verzilov, who is believed to have been poisoned, said he "firmly believes" Russia's intelligence services were responsible. It is thought he travelled to the UK on a false passport, along with another Russian national who used the name Alexander Petrov.
BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said although it wasn't known if the two incidents were connected, the cases showed Russia seemed willing to take "increasingly aggressive" and "risky" action. Ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal - who sold secrets to MI6 - and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with Novichok on 4 March.
"They appear less worried about getting caught out - more brazen," he added. Both Mr Skripal and his daughter survived, but Dawn Sturgess - a local woman not connected to the original attack - died in July after being exposed to the same substance.
The UK government has accused Mr Petrov and Mr Boshirov of the attack in Salisbury. It said they were undercover officers for the Russian military intelligence, the GRU. Who is Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga?
Russia has always denied the allegations and President Vladimir Putin said the suspects were civilians. The 39-year-old trained at one of Russia's elite academies and served with a special forces unit under the command of the GRU - Russia's military intelligence service.
The pair then appeared on Russian-state television claiming to have been tourists, visiting the city to see its cathedral. He earned more than 20 military awards for his service.
Bellingcat says that Col Chepiga was a soldier who served in Chechnya and was awarded the highest state award - Hero of the Russian Federation, usually bestowed personally by President Vladimir Putin. He is believed to have transferred to Moscow around 2009, where he was given a false identity as Ruslan Boshirov. He has been working undercover for the past nine years.
Bellingcat obtained extracts from the passport file of Anatoliy Vladimirovich Chepiga. A picture of Mr Chepiga from 2003 appears to look like a younger version of the man who used the identity Ruslan Bushirov. In December 2014, he was made a Hero of the Russian Federation. The medal, awarded in a secret ceremony, is typically handed out by the Russian president.
It is only given to a handful of people each year. The timing suggests it was for operations in Ukraine.
He and Petrov flew in to Gatwick Airport from Moscow on 2 March 2018 and visited Salisbury on two consecutive days, including 4 March, the day of the poisoning.
Both men returned to Moscow on the same day. European arrest warrants and Interpol red notices have subsequently been issued for the pair.
What is Chepiga accused of?
Sergei Skripal, 67, and his daughter Yulia were poisoned by a nerve agent in Salisbury, where he lived. The attack was approved by the Russian state, according to the UK government.
The Skripals spent several weeks in hospital, but recovered.
The event sparked a series of accusations and denials between the UK and Russian governments, culminating in diplomatic expulsions and international sanctions.
Police linked the attack to another poisoning in nearby Amesbury in June, in which Dawn Sturgess and her partner Charlie Rowley were exposed to Novichok after handling a contaminated perfume dispenser.
Ms Sturgess later died.
What does he say?
When UK police identified Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted the pair were innocent civilians.
A day later, on 13 September, the pair appeared on Russian TV and claimed they were simply tourists, visiting Salisbury to see its "famous cathedral and its 123m spire".
Mr Boshirov - or Colonel Chepiga - said he and Mr Petrov were in the sports nutrition business, but were travelling for pleasure.
They emphatically denied carrying any Novichok, or the modified Nina Ricci perfume bottle which UK investigators say contained the substance.
The two men told Russia's state-run broadcaster that their lives had been "turned upside down" by the allegations.
"We're afraid to go out, we fear for ourselves, our lives and lives of our loved ones," Boshirov said, when interviewed.
Downing Street called the content of the interview "deeply offensive to the victims and loved ones of this horrific attack".
What has Theresa May said?
Addressing world leaders at the United Nations on Wednesday, Theresa May criticised Russia for its "desperate fabrication" over the Salisbury spy poisoning.
The prime minister accused Russia of "flagrantly breach[ing] international norms" citing "the reckless use of chemical weapons on the streets of Britain by agents of the Russian GRU".
A spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the claims, saying they are part of an "information campaign".