Bellingcat: Petrov and Boshirov sent to new jobs in regions

Bellingcat investigative journalist Hristo Grozev told Czech Novinky that Petrov and Boshirov are "healthy and working in the civil service" as "Kremlin representatives" in Russian regions.

Grozev said that the agents "Petrov" and "Boshirov", disgraced by the stories of the poisoning of the Skripals in Salisbury and the explosions of ammunition in the Czech Vrbetica, allegedly "got a new job because they can no longer work as spies".

"Grozev added that he will soon publish additional information on this matter", - the TV channel Dozhd reported.

Earlier, investigator Hristo Grozev played a key role in the investigation into the poisoning of the Skripal family in Great Britain and in the poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny with Novichok nerve poison. According to the British police, Russian agents Petrov and Boshirov were involved in the poisoning of the Skripals. Those, in turn, on the air of the RT channel denied their involvement in the crime and called themselves "ordinary tourists" who went to England not to spray "Novichok" near the Skripals' house, but to "admire the spire" of the famous Salisbury Cathedral.

The second round of accusations against Russian agents Petrov and Boshirov was the result of an espionage and sabotage scandal that began with the investigation of the explosions of ammunition in the Czech Vrbetica and ended with the mass expulsion of Russian diplomats from a number of European countries.

On March 22, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry declared two employees of the Russian embassy in Sofia persona non grata for espionage in favor of the Russian Federation of persons and the hunt for documents labeled "NATO - secret". On April 17, the Czech Republic expelled 18 Russian diplomats due to the probable involvement of Russian diplomatic officials in the explosion at an ammunition depot in Vrbetica, where the Bulgarian businessman Gebrev was keeping weapons.

Czech security officials said that Russians associated with the GRU could also be behind the explosions and the attempted poisoning of Gebrev. Among the suspects, they named the notorious "poisoners from Salisbury" Russians Mishkin and Hero of Russia Chepiga, who traveled around England under the pseudonyms "Petrov" and "Boshirov", and across the Czech Republic - with fake passports in the name of "Priests" and "Tabarov"...

Russia did not admit the accusations against itself and in response expelled 20 Czech diplomats. In solidarity with the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats. On the Russian side, it also triggered a series of symmetrical responses.