ALEXANDER Mishkin, the second suspect in the Salisbury nerve agent attack, has been identified as a highly decorated officer in Russian military intelligence, according to recent reports. Mishkin, whose full name is Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin, is said to have received the prestigious “Hero of the Russian Federation” award, one of the country’s highest honours, directly from President Vladimir Putin. This revelation adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing investigation into the 2018 attack, which left former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia critically ill in the English city of Salisbury. The use of the nerve agent Novichok, a Soviet-era chemical weapon, sparked an international outcry and led to widespread diplomatic tensions between Russia and Western nations.
Mishkin’s alleged military background raises questions about the level of state involvement in the attack. According to investigative journalists, he is believed to have trained as a military doctor before joining the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency. The GRU has been linked to numerous covert operations abroad, including cyberattacks and assassinations. Experts suggest that Mishkin’s decorations indicate he was not only a trusted operative but also someone who had carried out significant missions on behalf of the Russian state. This aligns with the pattern of Russian intelligence agencies using highly skilled personnel for high-stakes operations.
The Salisbury incident remains one of the most high-profile cases of chemical weapon use on European soil in recent years. The attack not only endangered the lives of the Skripals but also resulted in the death of a local woman, Dawn Sturgess, who was exposed to the nerve agent months later. The case has been widely cited as an example of the risks posed by state-sponsored chemical weapons programmes. For more details on Mishkin’s background and the ongoing investigation, you can read the full report here.
As the investigation continues, the revelations about Mishkin’s decorated military career underscore the sophisticated nature of the operation. It also highlights the challenges faced by international law enforcement in holding state actors accountable for such attacks. The Salisbury case serves as a stark reminder of the evolving threats posed by chemical weapons and the importance of global cooperation in addressing them.
