Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, the two Russian nationals who were designated as suspects in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, have explained their visit to the United Kingdom.
"Our friends have been suggesting for quite a long time that we visit this wonderful city," Petrov said in an exclusive interview to Russia's state-owned media outlet, Russia Today, a top Kremlin propaganda tool.
At the same time, Boshirov said Salisbury is a tourist city and has a famous cathedral there, Salisbury Cathedral.
"No, initially we planned to go to London and have some fun there. This time, it wasn't a business trip. Our plan was to spend some time in London and then to visit Salisbury," Petrov said.
They have also commented on the British police's theory that they had brought a Nina Ricci perfume bottle full of the Novichok toxic nerve agent used for the poisoning.
"Don't you think that it's kind of stupid for two straight men to carry perfume for ladies? When you go through customs, they check all your belongings. So, if we had anything suspicious, they would definitely have questions. Why would a man have perfume for women in his luggage?" Boshirov wondered.
As UNIAN reported earlier, two Russian nationals were named as suspects in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.
There is "sufficient evidence" to charge Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov over the attack in Salisbury, British police and prosecutors say.
They are thought to have been using the names as aliases and are about 40.
