"Of course, they are civilians"

[#1]

Said Putin, to an interviewers (prompt) question.....    "Are these two men known to you?"    on Russian TV.... ( I think )....

Putin`s answer....."Yes, of course"

Interviewer...... "are they civilians"

Putin..... "Yes, of course, they are civilians"...  with an "astonished" look on his face, as if to say What did you think they were ? in disbelief that they could be anything else..

Now, the two men under suspicion,.... one has said, he will "tell his story".......... Sometime next week.....

I Wonder why...

perhaps, these "civilians" who just happen to be "known" to, none other than, "the president of russia".. (begging the question..... why would he know, these particular two "civilians"  ? ?  apart from the news coverage)...  would delay his "statement" until "sometime next week".... maybe he has got to "learn his lines"... and be approved by Putin, before going public....

Strange behaviour for "civilians"    ?

[#2]

Are their names the names they used while visiting the UK?

They claim they wanted to visit archaeological sites but made a detour to see the cathedral; apparently this detour took them very close to a house that just happened to house a Russian ex-spy and his daughter.

I suppose you could make it up if you tried hard enough.

[#3]

Listening to them and their statement it just sounded too pat and scripted. Like they were reading excerpts from a guide book.