UK police identify GRU general as third suspect in Salisbury Novichok attack

Detectives in the UK have identified a third suspect in the Novichok poisoning attempt on Sergey and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, England in May 2018. Metropolitan police named the third suspect as Denis Sergeev, identifying him as a member of the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU. 

According to the Metropolitan Police, Sergeev used the alias “Sergey Fedotov.” The involvement of a certain “Sergey Fedotov” in the poisoning was previously reported by the media. The investigative group Bellingcat also reported that GRU Major General Denis Sergeev used the name “Sergey Fedotov” as an alias.

UK authorities charged Denis Sergeev with conspiracy to murder, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, and possession and use of a chemical weapon.

According to the BBC, the Crown Prosecution Service authorized the charges against Sergeev, but the suspect can’t formally be charged unless he is detained.

Earlier, the UK charged suspected GRU agents “Alexander Petrov” and “Ruslan Boshirov” (whose real names are believed to be Anatoly Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin, respectively) with the assassination attempt on the Skripals. Denis Sergeev is believed to be the senior member of the GRU team.

In February 2020, the Bulgarian Prosecutor General’s Office charged three Russians believed to be members of the GRU for the attempted poisoning of arms dealer Emilian Gebrev. One of the three suspects was identified as “Sergey Fedotov.”