DISINFO: Bellingcat did not investigate Skripal poisoning and publishes leaks from British intelligence
SUMMARY
Bellingcat did not investigate Skripal poisoning and, in fact, published leaks from British intelligence. Bellingcat, just as in the case of the Malaysian “Boeing” shot down in Ukraine, presented as “results of its investigation” materials provided by Western intelligence services. However, there is no investigation of the Salisbury and Amesbury poisonings, said Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
RESPONSE
No evidence given. Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about Skripals poisoning.
Bellingcat and the Insider provide evidence that both “Alexander Petrov” and “Ruslan Boshirov” are active GRU officers. This conclusion is based both on objective data and on discussions with confidential Russian sources familiar with the identity of either one of the two persons. Bellingcat can confirm the authenticity of the leaked passport file of “Boshirov”, and that it contains all three markings that helped identify “Petrov” as a security-service asset: “Top Secret” annotations, a blank biographical page referring to a secret attached letter, a “do not provide information” stamp, and issuing authority unit 777001, exclusively used for state VIPs and intelligence officers. In addition, “Boshirov” also has no recorded history prior to the issuance of his domestic ID passport in 2010 (2009 in “Petrov”’s case). See further debunking by the Bellingcat. See further debunking on The Insider.