Vladimir Putin must think that the western world really is stupid.
After the UK government identified and named 2 men responsible for the 'novichok' poisonings in Salisbury, Putin has come out with a not unexpected denial of the men having no connection with the Russian state and simply being civilian tourists. Does he really believe that a government with a highly sophisticated intelligence service would have gone so far as to name the suspects without having the strongest evidence ?
Hot on the heels of Putin's comments, the 2 men concerned, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, have appeared on the 'Russia Today' television network. Given that 'Russia Today' is state funded organisation, it's hardly surprising that Petrov and Boshirov have repeated the claim that they were innocent tourists who just happened to be in Salisbury at the time of the original poisonings. Almost laughably, these 2 men, who appear to be in their 30s, claim that they'd visited Salisbury as tourists to see the cathedral, its spire, and a famous clock. They say that they wanted to go to see Stonehenge but it was too muddy for them and they got wet, so they simply returned to London instead.
Tellingly, CCTV surveillance images from various places demonstrates that he men arrived in London from Moscow on a Friday afternoon, journeyed to Salisbury for less than 2 hours on the Saturday and returned there, for perhaps 3 or 4 of hours, on the Sunday. Returning to London, they took a flight back to Moscow on Sunday evening. Is anyone really expected to believe that they made a return trip from Moscow in little more than 48 hours just because friends had told them to visit Salisbury ? Additionally, it almost defies belief that any Russians would be deterred by a bit of mud or by getting wet; much of Russia is often very cold and wet, including Moscow and other major cities. It also seems a little strange that 2 men from Russia would want to make a point of visiting a rather unheralded place such as Salisbury, rather than better known places.
Tellingly, CCTV surveillance images from various places demonstrates that he men arrived in London from Moscow on a Friday afternoon, journeyed to Salisbury for less than 2 hours on the Saturday and returned there, for perhaps 3 or 4 of hours, on the Sunday. Returning to London, they took a flight back to Moscow on Sunday evening. Is anyone really expected to believe that they made a return trip from Moscow in little more than 48 hours just because friends had told them to visit Salisbury ? Additionally, it almost defies belief that any Russians would be deterred by a bit of mud or by getting wet; much of Russia is often very cold and wet, including Moscow and other major cities. It also seems a little strange that 2 men from Russia would want to make a point of visiting a rather unheralded place such as Salisbury, rather than better known places.
Overall, this is utter bullshit. If they are so innocent, let them come back to the UK to be questioned properly, or would that not suit Putin's purposes ?
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