Russia's Salisbury suspects reportedly tailed Sergey Skripal in Prague in 2014

The two alleged Russian military intelligence officers accused of trying to assassinate double agent Sergey Skripal in Salisbury, England, reportedly tailed him in Prague in October 2014, according to the public radio broadcaster Český Rozhlas, citing sources in Czech intelligence.

The two spies, Anatoly Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin, supposedly came to Prague using their alleged cover identities, “Ruslan Boshirov” and “Alexander Petrov.” The British authorities previously fingered “Boshirov” and “Petrov” for the nerve-agent attack in Salisbury, warning that these names are likely false. Both men later granted a single interview to the Kremlin-controlled television network RT, where they insisted (rather unconvincingly) that they aren’t spies.

Český Rozhlas’s sources say “Boshirov” came to Prague on October 11, 2014, and “Petrov” arrived about five days later. Sergey Skripal reportedly came to the city later in the month to meet with Czech intelligence officers. Český Rozhlas also reports that the Czech authorities expelled three Russian citizens in 2014 “for security reasons,” but it’s unknown if “Boshirov” or “Petrov” were deported in this group. Both the Czech Security Information Service and the Russian embassy refused to comment on the story.