This article is more than 11 months old

This article is more than 11 months old

One of the two suspects in the Salisbury novichok poisoning has been identified as a highly decorated officer in Russia’s military intelligence service (GRU).

The online investigative sites Bellingcat and the Insider uncovered information identifying one of the two suspects – previously named as Ruslan Boshirov – as Col Anatoliy Chepiga, a special forces veteran.

British investigators also believe one of the pair is Chepiga, the Guardian understands.

Chepiga, a veteran of the war in Chechnya, was awarded the country’s highest state award, hero of the Russian Federation, in December 2014 when Russian officers were active in the Ukraine conflict.

The Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal was poisoned along with his daughter, Yulia, in the nerve agent attack in Salisbury in the UK in March. Both later recovered but have remained out of public view.

A discarded perfume bottle used to carry the poison caused the death of one woman who came into contact with it, Dawn Sturgess, and injured her boyfriend, Charlie Rowley.

The two suspects – Boshirov and another man named as Alexander Petrov – have been charged in the UK with attempted murder and conspiracy.

The naming of Chepiga eviscerates claims by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, that the two men are civilians and have no links to Russian state intelligence.

Play Video 1:24 Men claiming to be Salisbury novichok attack suspects speak to Russian state TV – video

Russian television had presented the two suspects, naming them as Boshirov and Petrov, as tourists who travelled twice to Salisbury because they were determined to see the city’s cathedral.

The use of a nerve agent in the UK by Russian agents has led to the worst diplomatic fallout between London and Moscow since the cold war. The UK and its allies expelled more than 100 diplomats in March and the US is set to enact more stringent sanctions tied to the use of a nerve agent by Russia.

Russian passport leak after Salisbury may reveal spy methods Read more

Moscow has continued to deny that Boshirov and Petrov are Russian agents, despite British insistence that there is evidence the two men have ties to the state and scepticism at home over their bizarre TV interview.

Bellingcat and the Insider had earlier uncovered passport files for Petrov stamped with the words “top secret” and “do not divulge”, along with a telephone number for the Russian defence ministry.

In a description of its investigation, Bellingcat said it found Chepiga by identifying military academies in Russia’s far east where the two men were likely to have studied and then matching a picture of the suspect to a man in camouflage gear.

From there, the reporters tracked Chepiga to two addresses in Khabarovsk and Moscow, and also obtained leaked passport data showing photographs that matched Chepiga to Boshirov.

Chepiga, according to the investigation, was born on 5 May 1979 in a village called Nikolaevka in Russia’s far-eastern Amur region, and enrolled in a military academy at the age of 18. Petrov is married and has a child, the report says, but does not provide more information on his background.

It is not clear why Chepiga received the state award. A government site merely said he had “conducted a peace-keeping mission”. Putin did give awards to other Russian military units operating covertly in Ukraine at the time. Chepiga did not keep any accounts with social networks and there was little mention of him otherwise on the internet, the report said.

British authorities had earlier said that they believed Boshirov and Petrov were pseudonyms, but did not give the men’s true names. CCTV images released by Scotland Yard showed the two men arriving at Gatwick airport and travelling to Salisbury before the attack.

Elements of the men’s story, which was told in a Russian-language interview with the editor of the state-financed RT television station, did not seem to ring true.

While the men said they travelled to the city to see the cathedral, they were caught on CCTV walking in the opposite direction, near Skripal’s house. On the day the poison was sprayed on Skripal’s doorknob, the two men left Salisbury and headed directly for Gatwick airport. Skripal and his daughter were later found unconscious in the centre of Salisbury.</s>Moscow: An investigative group in Britain said Wednesday that it has identified one of the two suspects in the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in the UK as a highly decorated colonel in the Russian military intelligence agency GRU (Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation).The group, Bellingcat, said the suspect, whose passport name was Ruslan Boshirov, is in fact Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga, who in 2014 was awarded Russia's highest medal, the Hero of Russia.

But beyond a photo from Chepiga's 2003 passport file resembling Boshirov, the report didn't contain further proof that Boshirov and Chepiga are the same person.

Britain has charged Boshirov and another suspect, Alexander Petrov, with trying to kill Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter on 4 March with the Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok in the English city of Salisbury. Britain has said the attack received approval "at a senior level of the Russian state," an accusation Moscow has fiercely denied.

A spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, rejected Bellingcat's claim, saying on Facebook that it is part of an "information campaign" against Russia.

Bellingcat relies on social media and open sources in its investigations. The group has heavily focused on Russia, exposing its military activities in Ukraine, Syria and elsewhere.

Earlier this month, the two Russian men appeared on the state-funded RT channel, saying they visited Salisbury as tourists and had nothing to do with the Skripal poisoning. They denied the British claim that they were Russian military intelligence officers, saying they work in the nutritional supplements business.

Bellingcat said it had received tips from former Russian military officers and perused pictures of graduates of Russian military academies. They found a man resembling Boshirov in a group shot and then rummaged through leaked official databases to find personal details.

It identified the man as Chepiga, and eventually tracked down his passport file, dated 2003, with a picture bearing a strong resemblance to Boshirov.

Bellingcat said Chepiga served several stints in Chechnya, where Russian forces were fighting Islamic rebels. It said that Chepiga's passport file recorded his service with a Russian military unit that was part of the GRU's special forces.

The group said that Chepiga's military school listed him among graduates bestowed with the Hero of Russia award in December 2014, adding that the data signaled that he likely received the medal for his actions in eastern Ukraine.</s>MOSCOW — The investigative group Bellingcat says it has identified one of the two suspects in the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy as a highly-decorated colonel of the Russian military intelligence agency GRU.

Bellingcat said Wednesday that the suspect, whose passport name was Ruslan Boshirov, is in fact Col. Anatoliy Chepiga.

Britain has charged him and another suspect, Alexander Petrov, with trying to kill Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter with the Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok in the city of Salisbury on March 4.

Russia has fiercely denied any involvement in the poisoning. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on Bellingcat’s latest claim.

The two men have appeared on the state-funded RT channel, saying they visited Salisbury as tourists and had nothing to do with the poisoning.</s>Now, Ruslan Boshirov has been fully unmasked as a highly decorated officer in the Russian military's special forces according to investigative website Bellingcat, which named him as Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga. The investigation claims Chepiga is a member of the military intelligence services, or GRU, and received Russia's highest military honour in 2014. The hero of the Russian Federation award is presented by the President personally, meaning it's very likely Chepiga met Vladimir Putin at least once when he received his award.

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has commented in a Facebook post simply calling the information, "fake news."

British authorities have not yet commented officially, but the BBC has reported that authorities are not contesting the identification. British Defense Minister Gavin Williamson tweeted about the case late on September 26, only to delete the tweet moments later.

“The true identity of one of the Salisbury suspects has been revealed to be a Russian Colonel. I want to thank all the people who are working so tirelessly on this case,” said the tweet.

Theresa May's scheduled address to the UN General Assembly came just after the revelations were made public. She didn't address them specifically, but used the time to call out Russia on the world stage — and while the Russian delegation looked on.

"We have seen what happens when the natural patriotism which is a cornerstone of a healthy society is warped into aggressive nationalism, exploiting fear and uncertainty to promote identity politics at home and belligerent confrontation abroad while breaking rules and undermining institutions," said May in her speech. "And we see this when states like Russia flagrantly breach international norms, from the seizing of sovereign territory to the reckless use of chemical weapons on the streets of Britain by agents of the Russian GRU."

Another poisoning case is also unfolding in the shadow of the Salisbury investigation — Pyotr Verzilov, a member of Russian protest group Pussy Riot was released from a German hospital on Wednesday. Verzilov has been in hospital for weeks, and was airlifted from Moscow to Berlin for treatment. German doctors say his condition is consistent with poisoning, but were unable to find traces of the poison in his system.

Verzilov told German paper Bild on the day he left hospital that he is convinced that Russian special services are responsible for the poisoning. Other members of Pussy Riot have come forward with multiple theories to explain why the Russian state may have wanted to harm Verzilov. One is his participation in a Pussy Riot protest during the last match of the World Cup where he rushed the pitch. Another is his involvement in an investigation into three Russian journalists killed in the Central African Republic this summer. He was initially supposed to join the journalists as they investigated the presence of a private Russian military group in the area, but stayed behind to participate in the World Cup protest.

Pussy Riot member and Verzilov's ex-wife Nadezhda Tolokonnikova said he had received some information about the death of the journalists the day before he was poisoned.

Russian authorities have denied having any hand in the incident, and Verzilov says he is planning on returning to Moscow once he has recovered.</s>MOSCOW (AP) - An investigative group in Britain says it has identified one of the two suspects in the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in the U.K. as a highly-decorated colonel in the Russian military intelligence agency GRU.

The group, Bellingcat, said Wednesday that the suspect, whose passport name was Ruslan Boshirov, is in fact Col. Anatoliy Chepiga, who in 2014 was awarded Russia's highest medal, the Hero of Russia.

Britain has charged Boshirov and another suspect, Alexander Petrov, with trying to kill Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter on March 4 with the Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok in the English city of Salisbury. Britain has said the attack received approval "at a senior level of the Russian state," an accusation Moscow has fiercely denied.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow on Bellingcat's latest claim.

The two Russian men have appeared on the state-funded RT channel, saying they visited Salisbury as tourists and had nothing to do with the Skripal poisoning. They denied the British claim that they were Russian military intelligence officers, saying they work in the nutritional supplements business.

Bellingcat said it perused pictures of graduates of Russian military academies and found a man resembling Boshirov in a group shot. It then narrowed its search to one military officer, Chepiga, using leaked Russian databases available on the internet. The group eventually tracked down Chepiga's passport file, dated 2003, with a picture bearing a strong resemblance to Boshirov.

FILE - In this video grab provided by the RT channel on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, Ruslan Boshirov, left, and Alexander Petrov attend their first public appearance in an interview with the RT channel in Moscow, Russia. The investigative group Bellingcat says it has identified one of the two suspects in the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy as a highly-decorated colonel of the Russian military intelligence agency GRU. Bellingcat said Wednesday, Sept. 26 that the suspect whose passport name was Ruslan Boshirov is in fact Col. Anatoliy Chepiga. (RT channel video via AP)

It said Chepiga served several stints in Chechnya, where Russian forces were fighting Islamic rebels. The group noted that the officer was decorated with the Hero of Russia medal in December 2014, signaling that he likely received the high award for his actions in eastern Ukraine.</s>MOSCOW — Russia’s respected Kommersant daily has interviewed residents in a small village in the Far East who have identified one of the suspects in the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain as a senior Russian intelligence agent.

On Wednesday, an investigative group in Britain named Bellingcat said one of the two suspects in the March poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the U.K. is in fact Col. Anatoliy Chepiga with the Russian military intelligence agency GRU, who in 2014 was awarded Russia’s highest medal.

Kommersant on Thursday interviewed several residents of the village where Chepiga’s family used to live as saying that Chepiga is the man identified by the British as one of the poisoning suspects.

Russian officials have denied any role in the poisoning in the English city of Salisbury.</s>MOSCOW—An investigative group in Britain says it has identified one of the two suspects in the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in the U.K. as a highly-decorated colonel in the Russian military intelligence agency GRU. The group, Bellingcat, said Wednesday that the suspect, whose passport name was Ruslan Boshirov, is in fact Col. Anatoliy Chepiga, who in 2014 was awarded Russia’s highest medal, the Hero of Russia.

Britain has charged Boshirov and another suspect, Alexander Petrov, with trying to kill Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter on March 4 with the Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok in the English city of Salisbury. Britain has said the attack received approval “at a senior level of the Russian state,” an accusation Moscow has fiercely denied. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on Bellingcat’s latest claim. The two Russian men have appeared on the state-funded RT channel, saying they visited Salisbury as tourists and had nothing to do with the Skripal poisoning. They denied the British claim that they were Russian military intelligence officers, saying they work in the nutritional supplements business.

Bellingcat said it perused pictures of graduates of Russian military academies and found a man resembling Boshirov in a group shot. It then narrowed its search to one military officer, Chepiga, using leaked Russian databases available on the internet. The group eventually tracked down Chepiga’s passport file, dated 2003, with a picture bearing a strong resemblance to Boshirov. It said Chepiga served several stints in Chechnya, where Russian forces were fighting Islamic rebels. The group noted that the officer was decorated with the Hero of Russia medal in December 2014, signalling that he likely received the high award for his actions in eastern Ukraine. British PM says Russian intelligence officers carried out attack on ex-spy A spy story: Sergei Skripal was a little fish who had a big enemy Yulia Skripal says her recovery from poisoning has been ‘slow, painful’</s>MOSCOW — The investigative group Bellingcat said Wednesday it has identified one of the two suspects in the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain as a highly-decorated colonel of the Russian military intelligence agency GRU.

Bellingcat said the suspect, whose passport name was Ruslan Boshirov, is in fact Col. Anatoliy Chepiga, who in 2014 was awarded Russia’s highest medal, the Hero of Russia.

Britain has charged Boshirov and another suspect, Alexander Petrov, with trying to kill Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter on March 4 with the Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok in the English city of Salisbury. Britain has said the attack received approval “at a senior level of the Russian state,” an accusation Moscow has fiercely denied.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow on Bellingcat’s latest claim.

The two Russian men have appeared on the state-funded RT channel, saying they visited Salisbury as tourists and had nothing to do with the Skripal poisoning. They denied the British claim that they were Russian military intelligence officers, saying they work in the nutritional supplements business.

Bellingcat said it perused pictures of graduates of Russian military academies and found a man resembling Boshirov in a group shot. It then narrowed its search to one military officer, Chepiga, using leaked Russian databases available on the internet. The group eventually tracked down Chepiga’s passport file, dated 2003, with a picture bearing a strong resemblance to Boshirov.

It said Chepiga served several stints in Chechnya, where Russian forces were fighting Islamic rebels. The group noted that the officer was decorated with the Hero of Russia medal in December 2014, signaling that he likely received the high award for his actions in eastern Ukraine.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>MOSCOW (AFP) - A suspect in the nerve agent poisoning of a Russian ex-spy in Britain in March is a colonel in Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, investigative website Bellingcat alleged on Wednesday (Sept 26).

Bellingcat, a Britain-based team of investigators that specialise in trawling through online data to expose Russia's involvement in foreign conflicts, said the man identified as "Ruslan Boshirov" by Britain is in fact named Anatoly Chepiga.

British security services in September named Boshirov and Alexander Petrov as suspects in the nerve agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia using a nerve agent called Novichok, but said these were likely to be aliases.

After they were identified, two men using these names appeared on Russian television to insist they were mere tourists to the English city of Salisbury.

The new report says Chepiga is a highly-decorated GRU officer with the rank of colonel, who assumed the identify of Ruslan Boshirov for his undercover mission in Britain.

The report included a passport photo of Anatoly Chepiga from 2003. It resembles a younger version of the photo of "Ruslan Boshirov" provided by British authorities.



 A photo made available to the British police shows suspects Ruslan Boshirov (left) and Alexander Petrov. PHOTO: EPA-EFE 



British Prime Minister Theresa May has said that the men suspected of the poisoning were members of Russian military intelligence acting on orders from a "high level."

Chepiga was born in 1979 in the village Nikolayevka in the Russian Far East and finished a prestigious military academy in the region, said Bellingcat.

He then served in the special forces of the GRU.

A regional branch of the paramilitary organisation DOSAAF states on its website that Chepiga went on three tours in Chechnya while in the special forces, and was awarded the Hero of Russia award in 2014.

There is no official record of him receiving the award, traditionally issued by the Russian president, suggesting it was for a classified mission.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said this month he knew who the two suspects were, and that they were "civilians, of course."</s>MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's respected Kommersant daily has interviewed residents in a small village in the Far East who have identified one of the suspects in the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain as a senior Russian intelligence agent.

On Wednesday, an investigative group in Britain named Bellingcat said one of the two suspects in the March poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the U.K. is in fact Col. Anatoliy Chepiga with the Russian military intelligence agency GRU, who in 2014 was awarded Russia's highest medal.

Kommersant on Thursday interviewed several residents of the village where Chepiga's family used to live as saying that Chepiga is the man identified by the British as one of the poisoning suspects.

Russian officials have denied any role in the poisoning in the English city of Salisbury.

This undated handout file photo issued by the Metropolitan Police shows the Russian National named as Ruslan Boshirov. An online investigations group has published what it says is the real identity of one of the prime suspects in the Salisbury nerve agent attack. The investigative group Bellingcat says it has identified one of the two suspects in the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy as a highly-decorated colonel of the Russian military intelligence agency GRU. Bellingcat said Wednesday, Sept. 26 that the suspect whose passport name was Ruslan Boshirov is in fact Col. Anatoliy Chepiga. (Metropolitan Police via AP)

In this frame grab dated June 24, 2017, taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site, an aerial view of an entrance to Russian Far-Eastern Higher Combined-Arms Command military academy in Blagoveshchensk, Russia. The British investigative group, Bellingcat, said Wednesday Sept. 26, 2018, that it has identified one of the two suspects in the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in the U.K. as a highly decorated colonel in the Russian military intelligence agency GRU, saying that he graduated from the academy in Blagoveshchensk. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo of Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016 taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site, military students stand during a visit of foreign military attaches as they visit the Russian Far-Eastern Higher Combined-Arms Command military academy in Blagoveshchensk, Russia. The British investigative group, Bellingcat, said Wednesday Sept. 26, 2018, that it has identified one of the two suspects in the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in the U.K. as a highly decorated colonel in the Russian military intelligence agency GRU, saying that he graduated from the academy in Blagoveshchensk. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

FILE - In this video grab provided by the RT channel on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, Ruslan Boshirov, left, and Alexander Petrov attend their first public appearance in an interview with the RT channel in Moscow, Russia. The investigative group Bellingcat says it has identified one of the two suspects in the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy as a highly-decorated colonel of the Russian military intelligence agency GRU. Bellingcat said Wednesday, Sept. 26 that the suspect whose passport name was Ruslan Boshirov is in fact Col. Anatoliy Chepiga. (RT channel video via AP)
Investigative website Bellingcat releases information identifying one of the suspects involved in the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal as Anatoliy Chepiga, a decorated Colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate.