Putin affirms Russia knows clearly the suspect in the Skripal poisoning case

British police identified Boshirov (left) and Petrov as the two men who tried to murder former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with Novichok poison in March. Photo: AFP

On September 12, President Putin confirmed that Russian authorities had identified two people suspected by London of carrying out the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the city of Salisbury, England.

“We know who they are, we have found them,” Putin said at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok.

The Russian president noted that the “suspects” were civilians. “I hope they will come forward and tell everything themselves. I guarantee that there is nothing particularly criminal,” he said. Putin also urged the two individuals to speak to the media.

Last week, British law enforcement confirmed that two Russian citizens were behind the attempted poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal. In addition, British Prime Minister Theresa May accused Russian military intelligence of orchestrating the poisoning on the orders of central agencies.

For their part, Russian officials asserted that the photos and identities of suspects Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov released by London do not prove that Moscow was involved in the attack.

The attempted poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury on March 4 has caused tensions between Russia and the UK, with London and its allies accusing Moscow of orchestrating the attack, which Moscow denies. Recently, British officials confirmed that two Russian citizens, suspects in the attack, had ties to Russian intelligence.

These incidents prompted the US to impose new sanctions against Russia on August 27, while many other European Union (EU) countries expelled a number of Russian diplomats.