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Kremlin: Russia’s stance on Skripal saga unchanged after ‘revelation’ of ‘third suspect’

According to Sky News, the suspect "is thought to be a senior member of Russia’s GRU agency" who uses the alias Sergei Fedotov

SOCHI, February 15. /TASS/. The Kremlin has not changed its stance on reports about the Salisbury poisoning suspects after some media outlets divulged the name of another individual allegedly linked to that incident, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

"[The Kremlin comments on these reports] the way it commented on the reports about the first and second suspects. Nothing has changed here, our approach has remained the same," he stressed.

On Thursday, Britain’s Sky News network reported citing the Belligcat website that a ‘third man’ who was allegedly involved in poisoning retired Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury last March was known as Denis Sergeev. According to Sky News, he "is thought to be a senior member of Russia’s GRU agency" who uses the alias Sergei Fedotov.

The TV channel asserted that on March 4, the day when Skripal and his daughter were poisoned, the 'third suspect' left Britain travelling to Moscow through Rome.

However, the Daily Telegraph earlier reported citing its own sources that he could still be in the UK.

Salisbury poisoning saga

On March 4, 2018, former Russian military intelligence Colonel Sergei Skripal, who had been convicted in Russia of spying for Great Britain and was later swapped for Russian intelligence officers, and his daughter Yulia, were found unconscious on a bench near the Maltings shopping center in Salisbury, the UK. Police said they had allegedly been exposed to a nerve agent.

London immediately accused Russia of being involved, but failed to furnish any evidence. British Prime Minister Theresa May rushed to blame Russia for "unlawful use of force" against her country. She identified the alleged substance used in the attack as the so-called Novichok nerve agent, allegedly developed in the former Soviet Union. Russia has flatly rejected these allegations pointing out that neither the Soviet Union nor Russia had any programs to develop that substance.