The Skripals Are Pulling Through - UK Scrambles to Create New "Secret Lab" Anti-Russia Narrative
Yulia Skripal, poisoned along with her father in Salisbury, Britain, is quickly recovering. This has been officially announced. Scotland Yard made public a personal statement by the former double agent's daughter. She didn't say anything her father's state. But, judging from the audio message given to the "60 Minutes" program by Yulia's cousin, Sergei Skripal also feels much better. Although the audio message raises some questions, the events strongly hurt the British authorities. Though, British intelligence has said that they've found another almost 100% trace. And this is not about buckwheat or money.
Alexander Khabarov is reporting from London.
Today Scotland Yard made public a statement by Yulia Skripal. She said that she woke up over a week ago and is feeling better. She thanked all of the people who helped her and asks to respect her family's privacy during this period of recovery. This information comes after Yulia's cousin, Viktoria, said that she had talked to her on the phone and provided a recording of the conversation to our TV channel. Judging from the short conversation, Sergei Skripal is recovering too, though he wasn't mentioned in Scotland Yard's statement.
- Look, if I get a visa tomorrow, I'll arrive on Monday.
- Vika, they won't give you a visa.
- Yes, I think so too. If they give me one, just tell me if I can visit you.
- I guess, no, you see, the situation…
- Well, yes, I know. We'll deal with it later.
- Everything's okay. We'll see.
- Is Dad okay?
- Everything is okay, right now he's resting, sleeping, health is okay. No permanent damage, I'm checking out soon, everything is okay.
Victoria claims that Yulia called her on her own. But there is no confirmation that it was her as she called from an unknown number.
Victoria Skripal: She was the one who got in touch with me. I got a call from a British number. I thought it was journalists. When I picked up the phone, the first thing I heard was the phrase: "Can I speak?" and the answer: "Yes, you can." You heard what Yulia said: I won't get a visa. Obviously, these are not her words.
- Do you think she contacted someone?
- Do you think there was no one else in the ward?
A press conference at the Russian Embassy in London also tackled the news from Salisbury.
Alexander Yakovenko, Russian ambassador to the UK: "Family conversations are one thing, but the official conclusion issued by our embassy is quite another. It's about the access, assessing their state, the way they were treated and the medication."
The UK has not yet provided Russian officials with access to the affected citizens of Russia. Only today, a month after the poisoning in Salisbury, The Foreign Office said it had conveyed the proposal of consular assistance to Julia Skripal. It's important for Russia not only to meet her but also to receive full information about the progress of the investigation.
Alexander Yakovenko: "Obviously, we need to conduct a common investigation along with the British. People were poisoned, there are Russian citizens. We want to know the truth, it's a very serious issue".
Alexander Yakovenko stated that 68% of the British didn't believe that the local authorities' investigation is unbiased.
Alexander Yakovenko: "We conducted a poll on Twitter, 1,500 took part in it. The question was simple: "Do you think the British will make the investigation secret as it was in the Litvinenko case?" 68% of the British said the investigation would definitely be made secret".
How can one trust British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson who lied that British experts had found out the country of origin of the nerve agent allegedly used to poison the former double agent?
Chris Williamson, MP, Labor Party: "Boris Johnson raced ahead of the evidence and used this terrible incident, not so much as a smoking gun, but more of a smokescreen. It was very convenient for the government to use this as a way of diverting attention from their own difficulties of Brexit and economic policy".
Johnson's statements are part of the argumentation that the British used to convince their partners to oppose Russia and expel Russian diplomats. They pay attention to this in Austria a country which didn't allow itself to be drawn into this conflict.
Sebastian Kurz, Chancellor of Austria: "We're among the 1/3rd of EU countries which didn't expel Russian diplomats. The Foreign Minister and I decided not to do this as we have traditionally maintained good relations with Russia, we're neutral and host the headquarters of many international organizations such as the UN and the OSCE".
London has to change tactics. It's already pushing aside the conclusions of chemical experts. What's most important now is some kind of secret intelligence which they aren't going to share, said Ben Wallace, Minister for Security. Besides, referring to its sources, The Times claims that the British intelligence agencies determined a place where the poison was produced.
"UK locates the source of novichok nerve agent used in Salisbury. Security services believe they have pinpointed the location of the covert Russian laboratory".
Instead of more hypotheses, Moscow is seeking answers to its questions posed both to the British authorities and to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, whose experts are now analyzing the sample of the agent provided by Britain. At Russia's initiative, the UN Security Council is holding a meeting today in New York to discuss the progress of the Salisbury investigation.
London tries to embroil Arsenal FC fans in the conflict. Arsenal is having a match with CSKA today. English newspapers warn Arsenal fans about possible attacks by fans from Moscow.
Alexander Khabarov, Ilya Mordyukov for Vesti from Great Britain.