Two Russian spies accused of the deadly Salisbury novichok attack are living the high life among Moscow’s military elite, the Mirror has discovered.
Exactly one year after Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov were named as chief suspects, experts say they will never face justice.
Protected by President Vladimir Putin, the GRU agents are now likely to be in lucrative, cushy jobs.
Ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, Yulia, miraculously survived the attempted assassination in March 2018.
But local woman Dawn Sturgess, 44, died three months later after she and her boyfriend found a perfume bottle used to carry the nerve agent.
And there are fears emboldened Moscow could launch similar terrifying operations in the future.
Last night a former British military intelligence officer said: “Russia has learned it can make up for inferior capability in its military by using chemical weapons to deadly effect.
“Despite being hit by sanctions, as far as justice goes they have got away with it and will continue to.”
He added of the two assassins: “They will be protected, having done Putin’s will.
“They have been promoted almost certainly and congratulated on a bold job.
“There are plenty of GRU officers in cushy, highly paid jobs in Moscow’s corporate sector.”
The Salisbury attack sparked a £300million “chemical warfare” clean-up and 150 Russian “diplomats” were expelled worldwide.
But Col Richard Kemp, formerly of the UK’s Joint Intelligence Organisation and an adviser to the Government on terror and conflict, warned Britain remained vulnerable to this “new form of warfare”.
He said: “I do not believe we have the means of fighting that kind of war.”
And he agreed there is “zero” chance that Petrov and Boshirov will ever pay for their crimes.
Death toll could have been in the thousands
by Col. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon
Chemical weapons expert
This attack could have killed thousands.
It could have been so much worse and Russia got away with it, in some ways.
The West has imposed huge sanctions on Putin’s people and I have no doubt this has had a devastating effect on them, while failing to get these two men to face justice.
It is very likely they will never leave Russia because of arrest warrants out for them.
The novichok attack also showed using this method is an extremely effective way of sending a message to Putin’s enemies.
This is a consequence of the West refusing to act on its red lines against the Syrian regime to whom Putin is a great ally.
President Assad has launched more than 100 chemical attacks. Putin has watched and seen chemical weapons are, if you are utterly ruthless, inexpensive and effective.
These attackers were officers and I have no doubt they have killed before but their mission warned other Russian double-spies.
Putin wanted to deliver a warning to them that he can reach them, well, he certainly managed that and I would expect he is very capable of launching further attacks.
This will not be the last we see of Putin’s chemical weapons capability.
