The Cairns Post

Russian lived in fear of life

Former KGB agent thought ‘his life would end badly’ in UK

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A relative of an exKGB agent “poisoned” in the UK tourist city of Salisbury has told how he knew he would “not be left alone” and that his life in Britain “would end badly”. Sergei Skripal is fighting for his life alongside daughter Yulia (above) after a suspected assassinat­ion attempt in the Wiltshire city.

A RELATIVE of an ex-KGB agent “poisoned” in the popular UK tourist city of Salisbury has told how he knew he would “not be left alone” and that his life in Britain “would end badly”.

Sergei Skripal is fighting for his life alongside daughter Yulia after a suspected assassinat­ion attempt in the Wiltshire city.

A relative told BBC Russia: “From the first day he knew it would end badly and that he would not be left alone.”

Mr Skripal, 66, and Yulia, 33, were found slumped on a bench next to a shopping centre.

CCTV has emerged believed to show the pair walking through a restaurant alleyway yards from where they were found in a “catatonic state”.

Double agent Sergei and Yulia were seen behind Zizzi restaurant at 3.47pm local time on Sunday.

Less than 15 minutes later they were found collapsed on a bench. The pair were rushed to hospital where they remain in a critical condition after being exposed to an unidentifi­ed substance.

Anti-terror cops are investigat­ing the incident and carrying out tests to find out if a crime has been committed.

The UK government pledged a “robust” response if suspicions of Russian state involvemen­t were proven.

Recent reports said Mr Skripal was fearing for his life after his wife died in a car crash soon after arriving in the UK while his son was also killed in a road accident in Russia.

According to Fox News, experts believe the poisoning shows signs of being a Kremlin assassinat­ion attempt. Several former Russian spies, along with other Vladimir Putin critics such as journalist­s, anticorrup­tion experts and politician­s, have died in mysterious circumstan­ces since Mr Putin was elected in 1999.

But the Kremlin has denied accusation­s that it was involved and has lashed out at Britain for “demonising” Russia, reports The Sun.

A spokesman for the Russian embassy told Russian news agency TASS that the case was turning into an “antiRussia crusade”

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