Media captionPresident Vladimir Putin says the suspects are civilians

The two suspects in the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his
daughter are civilians, not criminals, Russian President Vladimir Putin says.

The UK government named them as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, and
said they were from Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU.

Mr Putin said his government had found the pair and he hoped they would appear
soon and tell their story.

Mr Skripal and Yulia were poisoned in Salisbury, in the UK, in March.

"We know who they are, we have found them," Mr Putin said in the far eastern city of
Vladivostok.

"I hope they will turn up themselves and tell everything. This would be best for
everyone. There is nothing special there, nothing criminal, I assure you. We'll see in
the near future," he added.

BBC Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford called Mr Putin's words a "tantalising

hint" that the two men will speak "very soon".

"But the question of course is who will we see because don't forget that, in the UK,
the suspicion is that the two names that were given are in fact aliases," our
correspondent added.

Media captionPresident Vladimir Putin says the suspects are civilians

The two suspects in the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his
daughter are civilians, not criminals, Russian President Vladimir Putin says.

The UK government named them as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, and
said they were from Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU.

Mr Putin said his government had found the pair and he hoped they would appear
soon and tell their story.

Mr Skripal and Yulia were poisoned in Salisbury, in the UK, in March.

"We know who they are, we have found them," Mr Putin said in the far eastern city of
Vladivostok.
"I hope they will turn up themselves and tell everything. This would be best for
everyone. There is nothing special there, nothing criminal, I assure you. We'll see in
the near future," he added.

BBC Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford called Mr Putin's words a "tantalising

hint" that the two men will speak "very soon".

"But the question of course is who will we see because don't forget that, in the UK,
the suspicion is that the two names that were given are in fact aliases," our
correspondent added.

Media captionPresident Vladimir Putin says the suspects are civilians

The two suspects in the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his
daughter are civilians, not criminals, Russian President Vladimir Putin says.

The UK government named them as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, and
said they were from Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU.

Mr Putin said his government had found the pair and he hoped they would appear
soon and tell their story.

Mr Skripal and Yulia were poisoned in Salisbury, in the UK, in March.

"We know who they are, we have found them," Mr Putin said in the far eastern city of
Vladivostok.

"I hope they will turn up themselves and tell everything. This would be best for
everyone. There is nothing special there, nothing criminal, I assure you. We'll see in
the near future," he added.

BBC Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford called Mr Putin's words a "tantalising

hint" that the two men will speak "very soon".

"But the question of course is who will we see because don't forget that, in the UK,
the suspicion is that the two names that were given are in fact aliases," our
correspondent added.