SICK Russian trolls are revelling in the Heathrow blaze chaos, joking that Vladimir Putin's Skripal poisoners have “gone on holiday” and struck again.
Others have chillingly jested that the fire could have been a sabotage operation conducted by the mad Russian leader amid peace talks with Ukraine.
One post on Kremlin-funded Readovka news outlet declared: “Petrov and Boshirov came to see the cathedral again.”;
Petrov and Boshirov – real names Anatoliy Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin – were the notorious suspects in the Novichok poisonings of double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in 2018.
The GRU military intelligence officers, who posed as tourists visiting Salisbury Cathedral, are now believed to be spearheading a major Russian operation to sabotage Western countries.
They are both wanted in Britain for the murder and attempted murder following the heinous incident.
Another troll suggested the pair were travelling again: “Are Petrov and Boshirov on vacation?”
And: “Now Petrov and Boshirov went to see Big Ben.
“The excursion was a success.”
Heathrow Airport has been shut down with the carnage set to last for days as devastated passengers are issued a “do not travel” warning.
A blaze broke out at an electrical station on Nestles Avenue, in Hayes, West London, at around 11pm last night and sparked a major power outage.
The incident at the electrical station has since closedthe busiest airportin Europe until 11.59pm today – causing travel chaos and leaving thousands stranded.
This comes as…
- Follow our live blog for latest updates
- More than 2,000 flights impacted – with more than 145,000 passengers affected
- 100,000 homes were cut off from power – now reduced to 4,000
- 29 people evacuated and another 150 people from a 200-metre precautionary cordon around the fire site
- No trains running to or from Heathrow today
- 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters still at the scene this morning
- Every flight CANCELLED from Heathrow Airport after fire sparked carnage –what it means for you.
- Heathrow Airport closed: what are your rights and can you claim compensation?
- Flying Eze's Head of Travel, Lisa Minot,shares her expert analysis.
In what appears to be a concerted operation, the Russian trolls have blamed Britain for supporting Ukraine – with disruption to Heathrow serving as revenge.
One posted: “Oh, that's not enough, for all the evil [the British] have done.
“They’ve been sowing evil around the world since time immemorial.”;
Another said: “Burn this stinking island to hell along with its vile inhabitants.”;
And: “Russians we did it.”;
A terrifying nuclear warning was also made, with a troll saying that the UK “should have been charred for three years already”.
They chillingly added: “Sooner or later, but it will have to be done.”;
Several suggested the London airport blaze may have been caused by Shahed drones – the kind Russia uses overnight to blitz Ukraine.
Questions have also been raised on the UK's ability to defend itself, with the fire causing extensive chaos across the world.
One troll said: “That [was]Shahed, of course.
“Questions, what was the legendary NATO air defence doing?
“And how is everything built there, that one Shahed was able to disrupt the work of aviation all over the world?”
Other Russians suggested the Ukrainians were behind the blast, so that Russian would be blamed.
HEATHROW CHAOS
Crowds and queues were seen at Gatwick, Manchester and Edinburgh airports and even in Paris as long-haul flights were forced to land there.
And the impact is set to be felt for days to come.
A driver who witnessed the inferno, and its shocking aftermath, described it as “absolutely apocalyptic”.
Adeel Anwar told Sky News: “The sky was darkening and it was just a scene that was chaotic. It looked like something out of a movie.”
He said he could feel heat emanating from the blaze with his window down.
“I tried to just get out of the area as quickly as possible. I was not messing around there,” added Adeel.
“You have to make a split decision. I'm not stopping to look around at something that is massive in size and just billowing black smoke.”
In total, the airport closure is expected to impact more than 2,000 flights, according to Cirium.
At present 120 planes already circulating Heathrow airspace are being diverted or turned around.
Passengers from across the globe, from San Francisco to Australia have been impacted, with around 2,000 flights to and from Heathrow set to be affected.
The airport was set to welcome 665 departures today, which is around 145,094 seats.
A further 669 flights were also due to arrive today, equating to 145,836 seats.
In total the airport was expected to see over 2,000 scheduled flights today, flying up 291,000 passengers.
