Novichok suspect identified as highly decorated Russian military colonel

THERESA May has attacked Russia for its “desperate fabrication” over the poisoning of a former spy, as one of the suspects was identified.

ONE of the men accused of poisoning Sergei Skripal in the English country town of Salisbury has been outed as a highly awarded intelligence officer in Russia.

The real identity of Ruslan Boshirov - who is wanted over the Novichok nerve agent attack on Skripal, the former Russian spy - has been revealed as Colonel Anatoliy Vladimirovich Chepiga.

Investigative journalist organisation Bellingcat has made the revelation with The Telegraph reporting the 39-year-old was made a hero of the Russian Federation by Vladimir Putin in 2014.

The revelation casts doubt over Mr Putin’s claims that Chepiga and his alleged accomplice Alexander Petrov were innocent “civilians”.

Novichok poisoning suspects Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov are shown on CCTV at Salisbury train station in March. Picture: Metropolitan Police via Getty Images

The pair maintain they were holidaying in Salisbury and had nothing to do with the attack in March.

The Telegraph has reported Chepiga had fought for the elite special forces unit Spetsnaz under the authority of the GRU for 17 years while also working undercover for at least nine years.

Petrov’s real identity is not clear however The Telegraph has reported that he travelled with his real first name but used a pseudonym for his surname.

It’s understood counter-terrorism police and security services know Petrov’s real name.

A former senior Russian military officer said Chepiga’s ranking and experience suggested “the job was ordered at the highest level.”

The pair are accused of murdering local woman Dawn Sturgess who was unintentionally poisoned by a discarded bottle that contained the deadly nerve agent.

They are also wanted for the attempted murder of Col Skripal and his daughter Julia.

Col Skripal is a former Russian spy who sold secrets to the west before being granted asylum in the UK.

British Prime Minister Theresa May addresses the United Nations General Assembly. Picture: Getty

UK Prime Minister Theresa May attacked Russia for its “desperate fabrication” over the poisoning of a former spy.

“We have taken appropriate action, with our allies, and we will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure our collective security,” she told the United Nations security council. “Russia has only sought to obfuscate through desperate fabrication.” May called on Russia to rejoin the international consensus against the use of chemical weapons.

Russia has fiercely denied any involvement in the poisoning. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on Bellingcat’s latest claim.

The two men have appeared on the state-funded RT channel, saying they visited Salisbury as tourists and had nothing to do with the poisoning.

They denied the British claim that they were Russian military intelligence officers, saying they work in the nutritional supplements business. Bellingcat said it perused pictures of graduates of Russian military academies and found a man resembling Mr Boshirov in a group shot. It then narrowed its search to one military officer, Mr Chepiga, using leaked Russian databases available on the internet.

Police at the scene of a nerve agent attack in the British town of Salisbury last March. Picture: AFP

European arrest warrants have been issued for the men who have been charged with the poisoning by the Crown Prosecution Service.

It follows an investigation by Scotland Yard which revealed the pair allegedly made their way into the UK on fake passports with the bottle of nerve agent.

The bottle alone was powerful enough to kill up to 4000 people.

The men were understood to already be on their way back to Moscow just six hours after Skripal and his daughter were found critically ill.

After Scotland Yard took the extraordinary measure to publicly identify the pair earlier this month, the men appeared on Russia TV claiming to work in the fitness industry and having wanted to visit Salisbury for its “wonderful” sites.