Russian ex-spy ‘set to recover’ after poisoning
THE former Russian spy poisoned by a nerve agent in Salisbury is no longer critically ill, it was revealed yesterday.
Hopes have now risen that Sergei Skripal will fully recover from the attack.
Mr Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia were left fighting for their lives after being found unconscious on a park bench in the Wiltshire city on March 4. They had been poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok,
Ms Skripal is already hoping to leave hospital soon.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are very pleased that both Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia are improving.”
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the improvement in the condition of Mr Skripal was “great news” and “testament to the quick work” of the emergency services.
But Dr Christine Blanshard, medical director at Salisbury District Hospital, said speculation about when the two could be released from hospital was “just that – speculation” and the Foreign Office added that the pair were “likely to have ongoing medical needs”.
Moscow has denied British claims that it is responsible for the poisoning of the Skripals but the attack has plunged diplomatic relations between Russia and the West into the deep freeze, with the Kremlin claiming that Britain is “playing with fire” during a UN Security Council meeting.
Moscow has even raised questions about Mr Skripal’s pets. Two guinea pigs were found dead at his Salisbury home and a cat was put down. Russia has suggested they have since been incinerated to hide “an inconvenient piece of evidence”.