Planet Rugby Forum

A man who is critically ill after being exposed to an unknown substance in Wiltshire is a Russian national convicted of spying for Britain, the BBC understands.

Sergei Skripal, who is 66, was granted refuge in the UK following a "spy swap" between the US and Russia in 2010.

He and a woman, 33, were found unconscious on a bench at a shopping centre in Salisbury on Sunday afternoon.

The substance has not been identified.

Police are investigating whether a crime has been committed, following the incident at the Maltings shopping centre.

Col Skripal, who is a retired Russian military intelligence officer, was jailed for 13 years in 2006 for spying for Britain.


He was convicted of passing the identities of Russian intelligence agents working undercover in Europe to the UK's Secret Intelligence Service, MI6.

Russia said Col Skripal had been paid $100,000 for the information, which he had been supplying from the 1990s.

He was one of four prisoners released by Moscow in exchange for 10 US spies in 2010, as part of a swap. Col Skripal was later flown to the UK.

He and the woman, who he knew, are both in intensive care at Salisbury District Hospital.

A number of locations in the city centre were cordoned off and the A&E department was closed as teams in full protective gear used hoses to decontaminate the street.

Neighbours at Sergei Skripal's home in Salisbury say police arrived around 17:00 GMT on Sunday and have been there ever since.

They said he was friendly and in recent years had lost his wife.

Eyewitness Freya Church told the BBC it looked like the two people had taken "something quite strong".

She said: "On the bench there was a couple, an older guy and a younger girl. She was sort of leant in on him, it looked like she had passed out maybe.

"He was doing some strange hand movements, looking up to the sky."

The BBC's security correspondent Gordon Corera said government officials were not commenting about events in Salisbury but that the possibility of an unexplained substance being involved will draw comparisons with the 2006 poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko.

Mr Litvinenko was a former intelligence officer who, an inquiry later said, was probably killed on the orders of Vladimir Putin.

In a statement on Monday evening, Wiltshire Police said the pair had no visible injuries but were found unconscious.

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden said: "Because we are still at the very early stages of the investigation, we are unable to ascertain whether or not a crime has taken place."

It has not been declared a counter-terrorism incident, he added.

The force is appealing for anyone with information to call them immediately on 999, adding officers do not believe there is any risk to the wider public.

Public Health England said its specialists would be joining a "specially-convened group" to consider the Salisbury incident.

What were the charges against Col Skripal?

Col Skripal was convicted of "high treason in the form of espionage" by Moscow's military court in August 2006. He was stripped off all his titles and awards.

He was alleged by the Russian security service (FSB) to have begun working for the British secret services while serving in the army in the 1990s.

He had been passing information classified as state secrets and been paid for the work by MI6, the FSB claimed.

Col Skripal pleaded guilty at his trial and co-operated with investigators, reports said at the time.

Openside wrote:The Russians really are total scum, do they have any redeeming features??

Openside wrote:The Russians really are total scum, do they have any redeeming features??

Openside wrote:The Russians really are total scum, do they have any redeeming features??

bimboman wrote:

Openside wrote:The Russians really are total scum, do they have any redeeming features??

i thought lots of the lefties on here thought we should welcome the Russians and especially Putin as friends.

ScarfaceClaw wrote:At some level you have to admire the balls on Vlad to do it again so blatantly.

Bullettyme wrote:

bimboman wrote:

Openside wrote:The Russians really are total scum, do they have any redeeming features??

i thought lots of the lefties on here thought we should welcome the Russians and especially Putin as friends.

Any links for that spectacular statement?

bimboman wrote:

Bullettyme wrote:

bimboman wrote:

Openside wrote:The Russians really are total scum, do they have any redeeming features??

i thought lots of the lefties on here thought we should welcome the Russians and especially Putin as friends.

Any links for that spectacular statement?

See the post right above it you stupid c unt.

Bullettyme wrote:

bimboman wrote:

Bullettyme wrote:

bimboman wrote:

Openside wrote:The Russians really are total scum, do they have any redeeming features??

i thought lots of the lefties on here thought we should welcome the Russians and especially Putin as friends.

Any links for that spectacular statement?

See the post right above it you stupid c unt.

Sorry here does it say that lefties want to be friends with Vlad and Russia? You complete idiot. Granted you may be well on it at this stage so may be seeing things.

bimboman wrote: "Here does it say " .....

True Blue wrote:There was an interview with George Bush Jnr last year that was quite revealing about the pathetic macho mindset that many russian men have.

Speaks for itself really (linked to the relevant part of the video)

https://youtu.be/rKeFXs8a0Xk?t=5m15s

Bowens wrote:

True Blue wrote:There was an interview with George Bush Jnr last year that was quite revealing about the pathetic macho mindset that many russian men have.

Speaks for itself really (linked to the relevant part of the video)

https://youtu.be/rKeFXs8a0Xk?t=5m15s

The man is such an utter moron. Decades of grooming by a Brahmin Yale clan and he still comes across like a dopey grocery store manager.

True Blue wrote:

Bowens wrote:

True Blue wrote:There was an interview with George Bush Jnr last year that was quite revealing about the pathetic macho mindset that many russian men have.

Speaks for itself really (linked to the relevant part of the video)

https://youtu.be/rKeFXs8a0Xk?t=5m15s

The man is such an utter moron. Decades of grooming by a Brahmin Yale clan and he still comes across like a dopey grocery store manager.

He's almost certainly more intelligent and experienced in global affairs than you ever will be.

Bowens wrote:

True Blue wrote:There was an interview with George Bush Jnr last year that was quite revealing about the pathetic macho mindset that many russian men have.

Speaks for itself really (linked to the relevant part of the video)

https://youtu.be/rKeFXs8a0Xk?t=5m15s

The man is such an utter moron. Decades of grooming by a Brahmin Yale clan and he still comes across like a dopey grocery store manager.

FullbackAce wrote:

Bowens wrote:

True Blue wrote:There was an interview with George Bush Jnr last year that was quite revealing about the pathetic macho mindset that many russian men have.

Speaks for itself really (linked to the relevant part of the video)

https://youtu.be/rKeFXs8a0Xk?t=5m15s

The man is such an utter moron. Decades of grooming by a Brahmin Yale clan and he still comes across like a dopey grocery store manager.

As opposed to trump who comes off like an erudite ?

I see that as one of his(GW's) few good traits.

Certainly tired of rehearsed acting from Politicians these days.

Bowens wrote:

FullbackAce wrote:

Bowens wrote:

True Blue wrote:There was an interview with George Bush Jnr last year that was quite revealing about the pathetic macho mindset that many russian men have.

Speaks for itself really (linked to the relevant part of the video)

https://youtu.be/rKeFXs8a0Xk?t=5m15s

The man is such an utter moron. Decades of grooming by a Brahmin Yale clan and he still comes across like a dopey grocery store manager.

As opposed to trump who comes off like an erudite ?

I see that as one of his(GW's) few good traits.

Certainly tired of rehearsed acting from Politicians these days.

The aww shucks Texan thing is an act to camouflage his shortcomings. His family came over on the Mayflower. He's just the idiot son of a former president.

bimboman wrote:

Openside wrote:The Russians really are total scum, do they have any redeeming features??

i thought lots of the lefties on here thought we should welcome the Russians and especially Putin as friends.

bimboman wrote:

Openside wrote:The Russians really are total scum, do they have any redeeming features??

i thought lots of the lefties on here thought we should welcome the Russians and especially Putin as friends.

flaggETERNAL wrote:

bimboman wrote:

Openside wrote:The Russians really are total scum, do they have any redeeming features??

i thought lots of the lefties on here thought we should welcome the Russians and especially Putin as friends.

Don't know about that. It seems to be the righties I know who admire his "manliness".

Bowens wrote:

FullbackAce wrote:

Bowens wrote:

True Blue wrote:There was an interview with George Bush Jnr last year that was quite revealing about the pathetic macho mindset that many russian men have.

Speaks for itself really (linked to the relevant part of the video)

https://youtu.be/rKeFXs8a0Xk?t=5m15s

The man is such an utter moron. Decades of grooming by a Brahmin Yale clan and he still comes across like a dopey grocery store manager.

As opposed to trump who comes off like an erudite ?

I see that as one of his(GW's) few good traits.

Certainly tired of rehearsed acting from Politicians these days.

The aww shucks Texan thing is an act to camouflage his shortcomings. His family came over on the Mayflower. He's just the idiot son of a former president.

paddyor wrote:

ScarfaceClaw wrote:At some level you have to admire the balls on Vlad to do it again so blatantly.

This is no. 15 apparently.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/fro ... .ycX0e6rWx

Openside wrote:The Russians really are total scum, do they have any redeeming features??

Bowens wrote:

True Blue wrote:

Bowens wrote:

True Blue wrote:There was an interview with George Bush Jnr last year that was quite revealing about the pathetic macho mindset that many russian men have.

Speaks for itself really (linked to the relevant part of the video)

https://youtu.be/rKeFXs8a0Xk?t=5m15s

The man is such an utter moron. Decades of grooming by a Brahmin Yale clan and he still comes across like a dopey grocery store manager.

He's almost certainly more intelligent and experienced in global affairs than you ever will be.

More experienced in global affairs. You nailed me there.

Brumbie_Steve wrote:

paddyor wrote:

ScarfaceClaw wrote:At some level you have to admire the balls on Vlad to do it again so blatantly.

This is no. 15 apparently.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/fro ... .ycX0e6rWx

Fair chance he chalked up a couple in Fiji as well.

flaggETERNAL wrote:

Brumbie_Steve wrote:

paddyor wrote:

ScarfaceClaw wrote:At some level you have to admire the balls on Vlad to do it again so blatantly.

This is no. 15 apparently.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/fro ... .ycX0e6rWx

Fair chance he chalked up a couple in Fiji as well.

Yep.

paddyor wrote:

ScarfaceClaw wrote:At some level you have to admire the balls on Vlad to do it again so blatantly.

This is no. 15 apparently.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/fro ... .ycX0e6rWx

Varsity Way wrote:I was listening to BBC Breakfast this morning and a lady who investigates similar incidents said there were at least 14 poisonings last year in the UK in similar circumstances. WTF!!!!

True Blue wrote:

Bowens wrote:

True Blue wrote:

Bowens wrote:

True Blue wrote:There was an interview with George Bush Jnr last year that was quite revealing about the pathetic macho mindset that many russian men have.

Speaks for itself really (linked to the relevant part of the video)

https://youtu.be/rKeFXs8a0Xk?t=5m15s

The man is such an utter moron. Decades of grooming by a Brahmin Yale clan and he still comes across like a dopey grocery store manager.

He's almost certainly more intelligent and experienced in global affairs than you ever will be.

More experienced in global affairs. You nailed me there.

Yes, it is certainly outrageous to suggest that a former two term president with a father as a president and from a powerful political family who has met Putin many times......would know more than some guy on a rugby forum.