Skripal Poisoning Suspects Confirmed as GRU Operatives: Report

The two suspects in the March 4 poisoning of ex-Russian spy and British double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, have been confirmed as agents of the Russian intelligence agency GRU, according to a Thursday report from Bellingcat and The Insider. Citing “objective data” and conversations with confidential sources, the outlets report that both “Alexander Petrov” and “Ruslan Boshirov,” which are likely cover identities, are active GRU officers. This data includes evidence linking the men with the agency, including stamps on their passport files that were traced back to the agency and the numbers of the passports themselves, which were hidden from Russia’s centralized registrar. This report comes six days after a previous Bellingcat investigation found that the suspects could possibly be working under “cover identities for operatives of one of the Russian security services.”