SPY GUY
FORMER Russian double agent Sergei Skripal was poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok in his adopted hometown of Salisbury in March 2018.
The nerve attack, which also poisoned his daughter Yulia, sparked a diplomatic row between the UK and Russia. It is believed that Skripal has now left the UK and is living under a new identity.
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Who is Sergei Skripal?
Sergei Skripal was born on June 23, 1951.
He was a Russian military intelligence officer who was convicted in 2006 of spying for the United Kingdom.
Skripal was accused by Russian prosecutors of working for MI6 in the late 1990s and passing secrets to the British using a James Bond-style spy rock.
At the time, he was serving in the Russian Ground Forces and was nicknamed "the Spy with the Louis Vuitton bag" because of his taste for luxury goods.
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In 2006 he was released in a spy swap and moved to the UK where he settled in Salisbury.
Sergei's wife Liudmila died from cancer in 2012 and in 2017 he lost his older brother and his 43-year-old son Alexandr.
Alexandr was said to have died from liver failure on holiday in St Petersburg.
His daughter Yulia lived for a time in the UK but moved back to Moscow.
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What happened to Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia?
The ex-KGB spy and his daughter Yulia, 36, were exposed to a nerve agent and fell gravely ill after having a pizza lunch in Salisbury on Sunday, March 4, 2018.
They were found slumped on a bench in a "catatonic state" and spent weeks critically ill in hospital.
Anti-terror police investigated the poisoning and discovered the agent used was military-grade Novichok, made in Russia.
Russia denied that their special services were involved in the attack, which sparked a diplomatic spat and the expulsion of embassy staff.
Police believe the pair were exposed to the nerve agent after it was left on the front door of his home.
The Salisbury Poisonings on BBC One follows Sergei and Yulia Skripal's story and the impact on both those working on the case and the Salisbury community.
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Where is Sergei Skripal now?
25 days after the incident, on March 29, Skripal's daughter Yulia was conscious.
A week later Sergei himself was no longer in a critical condition.
He was discharged from hospital on May 18, 2018.
Senior government sources have said that Skripal and his daughter "have begun a new life in New Zealand".
Why was Sergei Skripal arrested and how long was he in prison for?
Skripal was arrested in December 2004 and found guilty after being charged with "high treason in the form of espionage".
The former spy was sentenced to 13 years in prison after Russia claimed he was paid $100,000 to extract classified information and state secrets.
He pleaded guilty at his trial but was later one of the four prisoners Moscow swapped in 2010 for spies in the US.
It was reported that Skripal managed to return to Britain, but has been keeping a low profile for the last eight years.
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When was the spy swap with Anna Chapman?
Sergei Skripal was brought to Britain during a high profile spy swap with Anna Chapman.
In 2010, four men including Skripal were released by Moscow, while the US handed over 10 Russian "sleeper" agents as part of the deal - Anna Chapman being one of them.
Skripal and an another a man named Igor Sutyagin were flown into the RAF base in Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on July 9, 2010.
Timeline of events
British officials faced their Russian counterparts as they brief the United Nations Security Council on September 6, 2018.
- Prosecutors told the UNSC that there is enough evidence to charge the two men suspected of being behind the nerve agent attack.
- Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council and will be represented at the meeting alongside UK allies the US and France.
- In an address to MPs, Prime Minister Theresa May claimed the suspects are officers from Russia's military intelligence service the GRU.
- Moscow continues to deny involvement in the attack.
- On September 7, 2018 it was claimed that Sergei Skripal had recently been working with Spanish intelligence officials instead of being "in retirement".
- Spain is currently locked in a pitched battle with Russian organised crime groups, some with ties to the Russian government.
- The details paint a better picture of the Salisbury nerve agent attack, which has already inflamed relations between Russia and the West.
- Skripal also has previous connections with Spain, during his time as a Russian spy.
- While stationed in Spain as an employee of the GRU, the Russian military intelligence, the Russian spy turned double agent was considered a potential recruit by Spanish intelligence.
- Vladimir Putin has claimed the former spy had betrayed the motherland and is a "scumbag".
- The spies "real" identities were uncovered by online sleuthing site Bellingcat.
- Vladimir Putin claims there is “nothing criminal” about Petrov and Boshirov but Downing Street insists they are GRU officers “who used a devastatingly toxic illegal chemical weapon on the streets of our country”
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More on Russian Spy Poisoning
- In January 2019 the EU imposed travel bans and asset freezes on Russia.
- In March 2019 the MOD announces Salisbury is completely decontaminated of Novichok.
- The G20 summit is held in Osaka on June 28, 2019. Theresa May condemns Vladimir Putin’s actions as “irresponsible” and deemed the use of Novichok nerve agent a “truly despicable act”.
- In June 2020, it is widely reported Skripal and his daughter are living under new identities in New Zealand
Detective Sgt Nick Bailey opens up about struggling with depression after being poisoned by novichok in Salisbury investigation
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