Russian men accused in spy poisoning say they visited Britain 'just as tourists'

MOSCOW — The two men named by Britain as suspects in the attempted murder of a former Russian spy said on Thursday they were merely sightseeing in the small English town and have been wrongly accused. 

Speaking to the Kremlin-owned RT channel, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov denied using a military-grade nerve agent Novichok against Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia during their one-hour jaunt around Salisbury in March. 

“Perhaps we did pass by Skripal’s house, but we don’t know where it is,” said Boshirov. 

“For a while, our friends have been telling us to visit this wonderful town,” Petrov added.

In the 25-minute video, the pair deny working for Russia’s military intelligence service, and say they work in the fitness industry instead. They appear somewhat uncomfortable in the interview, in which they sighed in frustration and gave repeated long stares. 

The two men match the appearance of the security camera footage released by British police in detailing their case against the men.

The men admitted they had traveled to Salisbury, where they took in the sights of its famous cathedral and ancient clock, but their trip was cut short due to the snow and slush on the streets, they said. 

Photos released by Scotland Yard show the pair walking on a largely clear sidewalk, with a light dusting of snow in the corners.

When asked if they were carrying Novichok with them, both Petrov and Boshirov laughed it off. “Don’t you think it’s silly for real men to have women’s perfume with them?” Boshirov said, referring to the small Nina Ricci vial which British authorities said had contained the poison.

John Glen, Salisbury’s member of Parliament, dismissed their statements as not credible. He tweeted that he was “delighted” the men were able to visit Salisbury’s “world-class attractions,” but said it was “very strange to come all this way for just two days while carrying Novichok in their luggage.”

“The Petrov/Borishov statements are not credible and don't match the widely accepted intelligence we have on these individuals,” he said.

The interview comes a day after President Vladi­mir Putin said the two men were not criminals, reversing his government’s previous claims that the names given by London were meaningless. 

Karla Adam in London contributed reporting.

Read more:

Putin says two men accused by Britain of spy poisoning are just “ordinary citizens” 

U.S., 3 other nations, back Britain over Russian role in former spy’s poisoning

What is Novichok? The poison used against a former Russian spy 

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