“Putin’s government doesn’t murder Russian journalists, but he will kill you if you’re a former spy.”

— Aric Toler

Location: New York
Date: Wednesday, Oct 23rd 2019
Role: Researcher & Trainer

In the 1990s Sergei Skripal was an officer for Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). He operated as a double agent for the UK's Secret Intelligence Service between 1995 and 2004. In 2006, Sergei was convicted of high treason in Russia and thanks to a 'spy swap' settled in Salisbury, England in 2010.

In March 2018 his daughter Yulia visited from Russia. The day after she arrived the pair were found unconscious on a bench in the centre of the town. Witnesses describe seeing Yulia "foaming at the mouth with her eyes wide open but completely white". The pair had been poisoned with a nerve agent called A-234, leaving them hospitalised for weeks.

There is evidence that these attacks were carried out by two Russians, going under the names Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, following orders from the government. Russia denies these allegations and the state-run media channel RT claimed that the pair were holidaymakers and in Sailsbury to visit the famous cathedral.

Aric Toler is a researcher and trainer for Bellingcat an internet research organisation who have been instrumental in helping uncover Russia's involvement in Ukraine, the downing of MH17 and their work finding the real identity of the agents behind the Salisbury poisoning.

A man going by the name of Ruslan Boshirov, who claimed to be a nutritional supplement salesman is actually believed to be Anatoliy Chepiga. Chepiga is a GRU Colonel and a special forces veteran who has served in Chechnya and Ukraine and was awarded Russia's highest military honour in 2014.

The agent who operated under the name Alexander Petrov is in fact believed to be Dr Alexander Mishkin, also of the GRU and a trained military doctor. These discoveries have confirmed suspicions around the Kremlin's version of events.

In this interview, Aric explains his work at Bellingcat, the downing of flight MH17 and how he helped discover the true identity of Chepiga and Mishkin the Russian agents.

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Show notes and transcription:
https://www.defiance.news/podcast/the-poisoning-of-sergei-skripal-aric-toler

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Timestamps:
- 00:00 - Show intro
- 01:54 - Welcoming Aric to the show
- 02:00 - Working at Bellingcat
- 07:06 - The state of the Ukraine conflict
- 11:36 - The downing of MH17
- 27:29 - Why would Putin fear democratic elections?
- 30:28 - Human rights in Russia
- 32:57 - Journalist’s murdered in Russia
- 34:39 - The poisoning of Sergei Skripal
- 39:21 - Finding the real identity of the Russian agents
- 49:27 - Russia’s alignment with Assad
- 51:05 - What Aric is working on next

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