GRU Colonel Who Issued Russia's Secrets Poisoned in the West
On a beautiful spring day on March 4, 2018, a 66-year-old man in serious condition with obvious signs of poisoning was discovered near the Maltings shopping center in the English city of Salisbury. There is information that he was afraid for his life and turned to the police about this.
It was Sergey Skripal, a former GRU colonel who was convicted of working closely with British intelligence.
Poisoning victim
Sergey was accompanied by a 30-year-old woman, presumably his daughter, who also suffered. According to eyewitnesses, he stood in the middle of the street, raising his hands to the sky, his eyes fixed on the building opposite, and the woman at that time leaned on his shoulder. Outwardly, it seemed that these people were under the influence of drugs, although they were not at all like drug addicts.
The victims were taken to the intensive care unit, where they are now.
Since this event is extraordinary for these places, the authorities took a lot of various actions aimed at ensuring the safety of residents and investigating the incident. The city was simply raised "to the ears."
The first thing was closed "until clarification" of the restaurant, where a couple had lunch before poisoning. Then, to stop the possible spread of possible radiation, special officers dressed in protective suits decontaminated the mall, hospital and the former colonel’s house. It is known that near the shopping center an unknown substance was discovered in a strange package consisting of several protective layers. By the way, a warning has appeared on the hospital’s website for residents of the city to temporarily refrain from visiting it.
According to unconfirmed reports, fentanyl, a medical drug used in anesthesia, could be used as a poisonous substance. Other sources claim that the use of fentanyl in this case is completely excluded. Accurate and reliable information is not yet available.
What Sergey Skripal "became famous for"
What made the former colonel world famous. As often happens, his name became known to the masses thanks to betrayal.
The officer was an employee of the GRU, who in 1999 resigned. Then he worked for a while at the Foreign Ministry, after which he opened his own business. In 2004, he was arrested for collaborating with British intelligence. It turned out that he began working for the British since 1995, passing them information about Russian foreign agents. By the degree of damage to the security caused, he was compared with another famous English spy - Oleg Penkovsky.
The colonel was stripped of his rank, all awards and sentenced to 13 years in prison, of which he served four. He and other "colleagues" were exchanged for Russian agents working in the US for the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation. Among the liberated Russian intelligence, by the way, was the well-known TV presenter Anna Chapman.
And Skripal received asylum in the UK, where he lives to this day.
It is not known when and how the life of the defector will end, who had a hand in his poisoning. It is unlikely that today it is of interest or danger to the Russian or British special services. Maybe someone planned to kill him in order to accuse the other side of the crime, for example, the Russian special services.
We do not know this yet, or we may never know.
It was Sergey Skripal, a former GRU colonel who was convicted of working closely with British intelligence.
Poisoning victim
Sergey was accompanied by a 30-year-old woman, presumably his daughter, who also suffered. According to eyewitnesses, he stood in the middle of the street, raising his hands to the sky, his eyes fixed on the building opposite, and the woman at that time leaned on his shoulder. Outwardly, it seemed that these people were under the influence of drugs, although they were not at all like drug addicts.
The victims were taken to the intensive care unit, where they are now.
Since this event is extraordinary for these places, the authorities took a lot of various actions aimed at ensuring the safety of residents and investigating the incident. The city was simply raised "to the ears."
The first thing was closed "until clarification" of the restaurant, where a couple had lunch before poisoning. Then, to stop the possible spread of possible radiation, special officers dressed in protective suits decontaminated the mall, hospital and the former colonel’s house. It is known that near the shopping center an unknown substance was discovered in a strange package consisting of several protective layers. By the way, a warning has appeared on the hospital’s website for residents of the city to temporarily refrain from visiting it.
According to unconfirmed reports, fentanyl, a medical drug used in anesthesia, could be used as a poisonous substance. Other sources claim that the use of fentanyl in this case is completely excluded. Accurate and reliable information is not yet available.
What Sergey Skripal "became famous for"
What made the former colonel world famous. As often happens, his name became known to the masses thanks to betrayal.
The officer was an employee of the GRU, who in 1999 resigned. Then he worked for a while at the Foreign Ministry, after which he opened his own business. In 2004, he was arrested for collaborating with British intelligence. It turned out that he began working for the British since 1995, passing them information about Russian foreign agents. By the degree of damage to the security caused, he was compared with another famous English spy - Oleg Penkovsky.
The colonel was stripped of his rank, all awards and sentenced to 13 years in prison, of which he served four. He and other "colleagues" were exchanged for Russian agents working in the US for the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation. Among the liberated Russian intelligence, by the way, was the well-known TV presenter Anna Chapman.
And Skripal received asylum in the UK, where he lives to this day.
It is not known when and how the life of the defector will end, who had a hand in his poisoning. It is unlikely that today it is of interest or danger to the Russian or British special services. Maybe someone planned to kill him in order to accuse the other side of the crime, for example, the Russian special services.
We do not know this yet, or we may never know.
Information