Russian hitmen ‘posed as businessmen’ to gain entry into the UK

The Russian hitmen sent to assassinate Sergei Skripal had posed as businessmen from St Petersburg to obtain a visa to enter the UK, according to a security source.

The men – senior officers from Russian military intelligence – were given false identities by their handlers and travelled on official Russian passports under the names Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov.

Their real identities have not been made public but British intelligence services and counter-terrorism police are understood to know who they are.

The Telegraph has been told that Petrov and Boshirov, both in their 40s, had posed as businessmen to obtain their visas from the UK consulate in St Petersburg.

According to the source,…