[ti:Russians Accused of Poisoning Former Spy Appear on Russian TV] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Two men sought by Britain for the poisoning [00:04.09]of a former Russian spy and his daughter [00:07.78]appeared on Russian television Thursday. [00:11.97]They denied involvement in the attack. [00:15.90]Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov [00:20.04]spoke with the government TV station RT [00:24.12]in their first public appearance [00:26.92]since they were named as suspects. [00:31.40]The two said that they had gone to the British city of Salisbury [00:36.92]to see its famous religious center, Salisbury Cathedral. [00:43.52]They also said that their visit, at the time of the attack, [00:48.76]was "an incredible, fatal coincidence." [00:52.92]"Our friends have been suggesting for a long time [00:57.16]that we visit this wonderful town," Petrov said. [01:01.68]Last week, Britain announced charges against the two men. [01:07.87]It accused them of being agents of Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU. [01:17.20]It said they were sent to Salisbury to kill former Russian agent [01:23.16]Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with the poison Novichok. [01:30.60]Both father and daughter were sickened, but survived. [01:35.76]British police released closed-circuit television images [01:40.40]and pictures of Petrov and Boshirov [01:44.36]walking in Skripal's neighborhood on March 4, the day of the attack. [01:52.52]The Associated Press reports they were also shown [01:56.76]visiting Salisbury a day earlier. [02:01.20]Britain said the attack was almost surely approved [02:05.56]at a top level of the Russian government. [02:09.25]It has strongly denied the claim. [02:13.64]On Thursday, both men denied that they were GRU agents. [02:18.80]They also said they were not in possession of the nerve agent Novichok. [02:26.56]The two men said they worked in the nutrient supplements business. [02:31.68]They denied that they carried a bottle of perfume, [02:35.56]in which British officials found signs of Novichok. [02:41.00]In the TV broadcast, the men were asked [02:44.11]why they went to Salisbury on two different days. [02:48.88]Boshirov said that when they first arrived there, [02:53.44]it was a snowy day and they got very wet. [02:57.84]So, he said, they decided to take the train back to Salisbury the following day. [03:05.32]The two men said they may have passed by Skripal's house, [03:10.44]but they did not know him. [03:13.16]Their appearance Thursday came a day [03:16.59]after Russian President Vladimir Putin [03:20.40]said that Russian officials knew the identities of the two men. [03:26.84]Putin called them civilians and said there is "nothing criminal" about them. [03:33.64]He called on them to contact the media. [03:38.12]A spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May rejected Putin's statement. [03:45.32]"We have repeatedly asked Russian to explain what happened in March, [03:51.40]and they have replied with obfuscation and lies," the official said. [03:58.36]"I have seen nothing to suggest that has changed." [04:03.04]I'm Caty Weaver. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM