An MP has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin "will not hesitate" to send government agents to murder British citizens." He also said, in the "topical debate" on Ukraine, that some of the refugees could be Russian spies in disguise.
Mark Harper MP, Forest of Dean, spoke in the House of Commons in response to a suggestion from the Scottish National Party that biometric checks at the border should be relaxed to allow more Ukrainian refugees to reach safety in the UK. He said that, while he supports helping Ukrainians, President Putin "will not hesitate to send agents to kill British citizens" like in the Salisbury Novichok poisonings.
In 2018, two Russian military intelligence officers posed as tourists to get into the country and commit the Novichok attack on a Russian double-agent. Meaning that the biometric scans would not have stopped them from entering the country, reports Gloucestershire Live.
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The United Nations reports that 500,000 Ukrainians have been made refugees because of the Russian invasion. On Tuesday, the British Government said it would "relax" visa restrictions to allow family members to reunite.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "We know what Putin's regime is capable of, not just in Ukraine but also in the streets of the United Kingdom. Our country has suffered at the hands of Putin and his regime."
In a post on social media, Mr Harper said: "Remember Salisbury. Putin will not hesitate to send agents to kill British citizens, even disguised as refugees. It would be naive to think otherwise.
"It’s important to have both a generous offer for our Ukrainian friends and appropriate security measures in place."
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