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 — 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> 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) </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—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 (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> London, Oct 9 (IANS) A second suspect accused of poisoning former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK, has been named, an investigative website has revealed.

According to the British website Bellingcat, the second suspect is the man who travelled under the alias Alexander Petrov who in reality is a military doctor working for GRU or the Russian intelligence, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

Last month, Bellingcat named the first suspect as Anatoliy Chepiga, a claim rejected by Russia.

The website said it had identified Petrov using testimonies from people the suspect knew and a scanned copy of his passport.

It said both his real passport and the false passport he travelled to the UK on in the name of Petrov carried the same date of birth.

Bellingcat claims he was recruited by Russian intelligence while he was completing his medical studies and made several trips to Ukraine, including during the 2013 unrest.

The Home Office and the Metropolitan Police are yet to comment on the development.

Skripal, who sold secrets to British intelligence MI6, and his daughter Yulia survived being poisoned with Novichok on March 4 in Salisbury.

The suspects were alleged to have smeared the nerve agent on a door handle of Skripal’s home in Salisbury.

The attack left Skripal and Yulia critically ill, but Dawn Sturgess, 44, was later exposed to the same nerve agent and died in hospital. </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 (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.
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.