Novichok poisoning: Russian men UK accused of Skripal attack are civilians, Vladimir Putin says
Vladimir Putin says Russia has identified the two men Britain named as suspects in the poisoning of a former Russian spy and there is "nothing criminal" about them.
Key points:
- Mr Putin insisted the suspects are civilians
- He called on the men to "go to a media outlet" to "tell about themselves"
- Russia's UN ambassador accused Britain of attempting "to unleash a disgusting anti-Russian hysteria"
Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russia's GRU military intelligence service, and his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia, were found slumped unconscious on a bench in Salisbury in March after a liquid form of the nerve agent Novichok was applied to his home's front door.
The pair survived, and British authorities last week issued a European arrest warrant for Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov over attack.
At the time, British Prime Minister said intelligence indicated the men were officers in the GRU, and the attack would have been approved "at a senior level of the Russian state".
Moscow has vehemently denied it is responsible for the poisoning.
Speaking at a panel of an economic conference in Russia's far east on Wednesday, the Russian President insisted the men did not work for the military.
"We know who these people are, we have found them," Mr Putin said.
"There is nothing special or criminal about it, I can assure you."
Asked by the panel's moderator if the men work for the military, Mr Putin said they were "civilians" and called on them to come forward.
"I would like to call on them so that they can hear us today," he said.
"They should go to some media outlet. I hope they will come forward and tell about themselves."
Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, meanwhile, told the UN Security Council that Britain's claim Russia was behind the attack was an invention "out of thin air", and riddled with inconsistencies.
He accused Britain of attempting "to unleash a disgusting anti-Russian hysteria".
Novichok poisoning: Russian men UK accused of Skripal attack are civilians, Vladimir Putin says
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September 12, 2018
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