Were The Pair Suspected Of The Novichok Attack Really Members Of The Gru, Russia's Military Intelligence Network?

[anotheoldgit]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6158405/Putin-says-Russia-identified-two-novichok-hitmen.html

Are they not the clearest CCTV pictures you have ever seen?

[Old_Geezer]

Aren't criminals not also civilians ?
(Or State employees for that matter.)
Hardly surprising, If they are guilty Putin will deny, if the are innocent Putin will deny. I'd hope the evidence would be as damning as the accusation suggests. Otherwise, why accuse ?

[Peter Pedant]

Putin is a bit like Trump

No idea who they are
this is a charade and plant
oh we do know who they are whoops
I hope they will come forward whoever they are....

[Peter Pedant]

a/c to a quick read of the DM
the argument appears to be

oops we have found a John Smith
and we can show this John Smith has not been outside Mother Russia
and so that proves we cant have poisoned the Skripals

worthy of AB that is....

[ChillDoubt]

Have to admit I’m looking forward to hearing the purpose behind the pairs ‘visit’ to Salisbury.
We’re they possibly looking for retirement homes as they too plan to defect shortly? Or just wanted a few happy snaps of the cathedral as they’re fans of ecclesiastical architecture?
I mean what are the chances that 2 Russian ‘civilians’ would be in the area hours prior to the attack then leave the UK hours after, that very evening?
The coincidences are simply unfathomable!

[ludwig]

// I just don't believe the evidence we have been fed points to state involvement. Surely the Russians are more subtle than that. //

..and yet you're happy to assume there's state involvement from our own government 'feeding' us evidence presumably in some nefarious plot to distract us from Brexit or whatever.

Government organisations are only subtle in the Jason Bourne movies. In reality they may be ruthless but they're not particularly subtle or even competent.

Incidentally, more Russians being poisoned here...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45505064

My god, is there no end the number of Russians Theresa May will poison in order to discredit Vladimir Putin?

[ichkeria]

Good post Ludwig

[ludwig]

As predicted, they've been wheeled out to claim they're a couple of normal upstanding guys that work in the fitness industry and who have an interest in Cathedrals.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45509697

They only stayed an hour in Salisbury because it was a bit cold, wet and slushy, which obviously they wouldn't be used to being from Russia and everything.

They don't look too happy. Presumably because they know they're being shipped off to a gulag tomorrow.

[Spicerack]

Why are you so confident in the Government/aBBC line, ludwig?
Not saying that anything they're telling us is a lie, in this instance. But they have got form for it.

[fiction-factory]

it is hard to believe two holidaymakers would fly in from Russia on Friday afternoon, make two separate very short visits to Salisbury in order to see the cathedral and Old Sarum and then fly back to Moscow on Sunday evening. However I don't think we've been told how they spent late hours of Friday night in London ( a club?) and Saturday night in London- maybe they were really here to visit Soho or similar or theatre show?
I wonder if there is some footage being held back. Wouldn't CCTV have picked them up at/near to Old Sarum/Salisbury Cathedral if they did go. Are there any roubles in the collection box or do they have something from the gift shop?

[ichkeria]

RT must be going for ‘surreal interview of the century’ award
Pity the poor conspiracy theorists who claimed the CCTV was fake. Never trust your friends ...

[ludwig]

// Why are you so confident in the Government/aBBC line, ludwig? //

I cannot think of a single reason why either the government or the BBC would want to lie about this.
Politicians lie when there is either something good to be gained from it, or something bad to be avoided by telling the truth.

There is nothing whatsoever to be gained from stirring up trouble with Russia. Nothing.

Sometimes when something looks like tish, and smells like tish, it's just tish.

[Jackdaw33]

ff has it @1421. Simply not credible. Also, who issued them with visas and who financed their trip?

[fiction-factory]

THE BBC News timings for the Sunday highlighted the implausibilty of their story. They say they visited Old Sarum and the 123m high Salisbury Cathedral and yet there seems to be no CCTV ffotage of this but there is footage of them walking the other way near to Skripals' house. If they did see the sites as well that would mean they first walked in the opposite directionto near the Skripals , then walked across the city to the cathedral etc, did their sightseeing and photography and then walked back to the station- all in less than 2 hours

[ichkeria]

Would be nice if they had shared their photos :-)

[ludwig]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45656004

[ichkeria]

Something the security services have known for some time I suspect. And probably a major reason why Putin is being fingered for these crimes. Chepiga is obviously a main man