Evidence mounts that the Russian government may be using the UK and US as a ‘killing ground’ to eliminate its enemies

AP/BBC Newsnight

• There is increasing evidence that the Russian government is using the UK and possibly the US as a “killing ground” for the state-sanctioned elimination of its enemies. 
• The most recent targets are former Russian military intelligence officer turned defector Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. 
• “The Russian have been very good at covering their tracks,” said one expert. “A lot of this stuff is really difficult to prove. And if you don’t have clear evidence, what’s the point of going into court?”

LONDON — Britain offers wealthy Russians many attractions: the great city of London, the bucolic countryside, exclusive schools, and a global financial hub. But for some former spies and other foes of President Vladimir Putin, it has become lethal.

The latest victims near death’s door are 66-year-old Sergei Skripal — a former colonel in Russia’s military intelligence service, then a turncoat helping British agents who was convicted in Russia before being freed in a spy swap— and his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia. Both were found comatose on a public bench Sunday in the medieval English city of Salisbury.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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