The Sergey Skripal Scandal Continues - Why Was This Irrelevant Spy Poisoned With Nerve Agent?
A new spy scandal is unfolding in London. The 66-year-old former RMI colonel Sergey Skripal, charged with treason in Russia, and his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia, were admitted to a hospital with poisoning with an unknown substance on Monday. In 2010, as a result of spy exchange between Russia and the US, Skripal obtained political asylum in England. Ever since then, no one was interested in him. And now, he's been poisoned, supposedly with a nerve agent. Obviously, Russia is being blamed for this. But come to think of it, the only ones benefiting from poisoning a former RMI Colonel are the British, simply to indulge in their Russophobia. As a source, Skripal has given all he had to give, so he's irrelevant now. However, he's very useful as someone who's been poisoned. So, why not poison him? And, bring his daughter in on this, to make it more heart-piercing for the public. A lot of opportunities come out of this, like boycotting the FIFA World Cup in Russia. A perfect special operation. Skripal is just a cheap casualty, to make Russia justify itself.
Just how theatrical is this issue in London? Our correspondent Aleksandr Khabarov reports from this deadly place for Russians.
Salisbury, an average British town with barely any attractions, now has another historic spot. The center of attention is a regular bench next to a mall. It's covered with a tent now. This is where a former double agent Sergey Skripal was found on Sunday. His daughter Yulia was next to him. Witnesses have reported to the police that a young woman and an older man are either drugged out or very drunk.
James Payne, witness: "Her eyes were completely white, they were wide open, and the man looked dead".
As soon as the victim was identified as Skripal, Salisbury filled up with special services agents and police officers, some of them in chemical protection suits. Today they've announced that traces of poison were found in the Italian restaurant where Sergey Skripal and his daughter had lunch on Sunday, and in the nearby pub, they went to afterwards. Everyone who's been to those places is recommended to dry-clean their clothes.
The military is already involved in the Salisbury operation. They've evacuated the former Colonel's vehicle, along with the ambulance that transported him. Experts in special gear were even at the town cemetery, where Skripal's wife was buried. She died of cancer in 2002. His son's grave is also located there.
Earlier in the week, you could drive up to Skripal's house, but the entire block has been sealed off and is now being guarded by the police.
Amber Rudd, GB's Minister of Internal Affairs: "There are over 250 police officers here now, with about 200 witnesses, and over 240 pieces of evidence. We need to give the police and the investigators the space to get on with that".
The British press has called Skripal "a Louis Vuitton spy". When arrested in Russia in 2004, he was holding a bag of the famous brand. Skripal admitted that he got recruited by the British in the mid-90s, when he worked as a military attache in Spain. He'd passed about 20,000 secret documents to them, for which he got paid only 100,000 GBP.
In Russia, he got sentenced to 13 years, but he was officially issued a pardon in 2010. He was freed to be exchanged for Russian spies arrested in the US. After moving to England, he settled down in Salisbury. Now we know that his friend, Pablo Miller, also lives here. He's the former MI6 agent, who recruited Skripal in Spain.
Sergey Skripal's daughter, who works in Moscow, visited him often. He lived here without hiding from anyone, under his own name.
- What last name were the letters addressed to?
Alan Bachelor, mailman: It was a long foreign surname.
- Was it Skripal?
- Yeah, yeah, it was.
One of the versions is that Skripal could've received a poisoned letter. The other one says that it was a poisoned flower bouquet he put on his wife's grave on Sunday. The police currently do not comment on any speculations. The only official version is that some sort of nerve agent was used. The specifics are being held confidential.
Lack of real investigation results didn't bother those who turned this into a political scandal to blame Russia. The anti-Russia campaign that's been active in England for years has gotten a kick start. In London, expulsion of diplomats is being discussed. The businessman Browder, who is charged with fraud in Russia, came to the British Parliament. He believes he is the next one to be targeted.
"I believe they want to kill me. If they kill me in a very brazen way and don't get away with it, there will be big repercussions. So far, they haven't figured out a way to kill me and get away with it".
Great Britain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Boris Johnson, has threatened to boycott the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Boris Johnson, GB's Minister of Foreign Affairs: "I think we will have to have a serious conversation about our relationship with Russia. I think it will be difficult to see how UK representation at the World Cup can go ahead in the normal way".
They say Johnson didn't mean England's team, but the delegation of the English sports equity investors. The Russian MFA didn't hesitate to respond.
Maria Zakharova, Russian MFA spokesperson: “The situation has not become clear yet but the usual theories have already gained momentum. These fake news stories are aimed at complicating Russia-UK relations, it is impossible to see any other reason behind them".
Sergey Skripal and his daughter are still in hospital. They are in critical condition. A police detective is also in a hospital room. According to some witness data, he provided first aid to the victims. Others say he felt sick after his visit to the apartment of the poisoned ex-agent.
It's been declared here that the former Colonel and his daughter have been poisoned with a nerve agent. This is a secret lab for the British Ministry of Defence. It's only 20 minutes away from where the tragedy has occurred.
The Porton Down Science Park is the famous research base for British chemical and biological weapons. They conducted experiments with nerve agents, such as VX and sarin. The lab contains samples of Ebola, plague, and anthrax. But, for the English press, their secret services are above all suspicion.
That's what happened in London, when the runaway FSC agent Aleksandr Litvinenko was poisoned, according to Craig Murray, former British ambassador in Uzbekistan.
"The UK media universally accepted that the production of polonium by Russia was conclusive evidence that Vladimir Putin was personally responsible for the murder of Aleksandr Litvinenko. In the case of Skripal, po-faced articles like this hilarious one in The Guardian speculate about where the nerve agent could've possibly come from while totally failing to mention the fact that the incident took place only 12 km from the largest stock of nerve agent in Western Europe".
In England, Sergey Skripal could lead a quiet life of a retiree, giving lectures on Russian Intel to the local military. But it were the British secret services who controlled his every step here. Now, they lead the investigation, which has already been politically charged to a maximum.
Aleksandr Khabarov, Ilya Mordyukov, Vesti News of the Week, Salisbury