Prime Minister: Skripal attack carried out by Russian military officers and ‘approved at senior level of Russian state’
The attempted murder of Sergei and Yulia Skripal was carried out by Russian military officers and "almost certainly approved at a senior level of the Russian state", the Prime Minister has confirmed today.
Speaking shortly after police said it had charged two suspects – Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov – with multiple counts, including conspiracy to murder and attempted murder, Theresa May said the men were "officers from the Russian military intelligence unit also known as the GRU".
May added: "The GRU is a highly disciplined organisation with a well-established chain of command. This was not a rogue operation. It was almost certainly also approved at a senior level of the Russian state."
The Prime Minister stressed that the actions of the GRU were “a threat to all our allies and all our citizens”, and the UK is sharing intelligence with allies.
She added that the UK will “deploy the full range of tools from across our national security apparatus” to counter the GRU and prevent "despicable" acts such as those carried out in Salisbury. The UK has a European Arrest Warrant and will shortly issue an Interpol red notice on the two men. However Russia does not extradite its citizens.
Responding, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn condemned the attack, and condemned Russia for not cooperating with the investigation, but stopped short of condemning Russia for the attack.
He asked the PM whether she had sought cooperation from Russia to bring both men to trial and said Labour will back "reasonable" actions against Russia and the GRU.
His "weasely" response was seized upon by former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, while other MPs including the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford and other Labour MPs including Pat McFadden and Yvette Cooper backed the Prime Minister.
Former attorney general Dominic Grieve added: "We are victims of state terrorism by a state which is in fact run as a gangster organisation". Former home secretary Amber Rudd urged those who had been sceptical back in March to reconsider their position now, prompting May to agree, urging "all those who were sceptical in March to recognise the involvement of the Russian state, and condemn them wholeheartedly".