Kremlin Says Will Not Verify Reports on Mishkin Being Bestowed Hero of Russia in 2014
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that he would not verify media reports claiming that Alexander Mishkin, the alleged true identity of Skripal poisoning suspect Alexander Petrov, had received the Hero of the Russian Federation Award in 2014, as London had not made any relevant requests.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th October, 2018) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that he would not verify media reports claiming that Alexander Mishkin, the alleged true identity of Skripal poisoning suspect Alexander Petrov, had received the Hero of the Russian Federation Award in 2014, as London had not made any relevant requests.
On Tuesday, the UK-based investigative blogger group Bellingcat presented on Tuesday a report claiming that Petrov was "trained military doctor" Mishkin, alleging that he received the award for activities "either in Crimea or in relation to [former Ukrainian president Victor] Yanukovich.
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"As you remember, we are not discussing this topic, we have stopped its discussion in order not to get involved in debates with various organizations and media outlets that publish all this information. And we do not intend to do this. No, I will not do that [verify media reports]. We have not received official requests from the UK side on this matter. We have taken a certain position in this issue, and we will stick to it," Peskov told reporters, when asked to verify the information about the award allegedly bestowed to Mishkin.