Sep 21, 2021 - World

U.K. prosecutors charge third person in poisoning of former Russian spy

Jacob Knutson

Emergency services members in biohazard encapsulated suits encasing the poisoning scene in a tent in March 2018. — Emergency services members in biohazard encapsulated suits work at the poisoning scene in Salisbury, England, in March 2018. Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images

U.K. prosecutors said they had enough evidence to charge Denis Sergeev, a member of the Russian military intelligence service, in the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack against a former Russian spy, according to AP.

Why it matters: Sergeev is the third person to face charges for the nerve agent attack against Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, both of whom survived.

It killed a British resident who came into contact with a perfume bottle believed to have been used in the attack.
Skripal, who became a double agent for Britain, was in critical condition for weeks after the poisoning.

The big picture: Sergeev, who went under the alias “Sergey Fedotov” while in the U.K. at the time of the attack, was charged with conspiracy to murder, attempted murder, possessing and using a chemical weapon and causing grievous bodily harm.

Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, two other agents for Russia's GRU military intelligence service, were charged in the case, though Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that they were civilians.

Go deeper: Russia to blame for Litvinenko's killing, European court rules

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U.K. prosecutors charge third person in poisoning of former Russian spy

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