Two men named as suspects in the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy in the UK have said they were merely tourists.
The men, named as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, told the state-run RT channel they had travelled to Salisbury on the recommendation of friends.
The UK believes the men are Russian military intelligence officers who tried to kill Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury last March.
Downing Street dismissed the interview.
“The lies and blatant fabrications in this interview given to a Russian state-sponsored TV station are an insult to the public’s intelligence,” Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman said.
On Wednesday Russian President Vladimir Putin said “there is nothing criminal about them” and called them “civilians”.
