When Vladimir Putin called on the two suspects in the Novichok poisoning attack to make themselves known to the media, it didn’t take a genius to work out what would happen next.
Right on cue, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov gave an interview on state-funded channel RT on Thursday morning, during which they described their dismay at being swept up in an international scandal.
The pair were identified by the British government as being responsible for the March attack on Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33. Both were held in intensive care for weeks after they were exposed to the Soviet-developed deadly nerve agent.
So what were these two men really doing in Salisbury? According to their interview, seeing the sights, of course. Can’t two men travel nearly 2,000 miles for a two day mini-break?
As you might expect, their joint interview has prompted plenty of conversation online and on Twitter, where people have been having a lot of fun with the duo’s odd explanation.
Firs up, the claim the men visited Salisbury just to see the Cathedral has induced plenty of eye-rolling:
The suspects added that “muddy slush” from leftover snow prevented them from walking to Stonehenge too. Cue more eye-rolling:
Seriously though, imagine coming to the UK and complaining about the terrible weather:
Then there’s the fact they decided to stay in London for the duration of this incredibly short sight-seeing trip:
And the timing of it:
The real winner though, is Salisbury Cathedral:
Check out the replies to that tweet too, they’re Twitter gold.