Government must give details of Skripal case
The Government’s handling of the Salisbury poisoning outrage has been admirable. Its well-argued case against Russia has convinced more than two-dozen other countries to take action in support of the UK. More than 100 Russian officials have been ejected from embassies around the world, a co-ordinated response that has clearly rattled the Kremlin.
What is important now is not to lose the initiative or to allow the Russians to sow doubts in the minds not just of Britain’s allies but of the public. Even if it has left the old Soviet years behind, Russia remains adept at propaganda, disinformation, dissembling and mendacity. A masterclass was on show in London yesterday where Russia’s ambassador Alexander Yakovenko answered questions for 90 minutes, exhibiting a jovial wide-eyed innocence that should fool no-one, but might unless countered effectively.
Mr Yakovenko maintained that Russia was the aggrieved party – refused consular access to one of its own citizens, denied a role in the investigation of the crime and accused of an offence it could not possibly have committed because it did not possess the nerve agent responsible. It is easy to rebut Mr Yakovenko’s bluster, not least by pointing out that Moscow lied about the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006 so why should anyone believe a word it says now?
But there is a real risk that the Russians will win the information war if the British side continues to be so secretive. This does not mean giving out details that would compromise intelligence sources. Nor can the Russians be involved in an investigation into something they are believed to be responsible for. That should be left to the independent Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, whose findings Russia has reserved the right to reject if it doesn’t like them.
But there is a halfway house. The remarkable recovery of Yulia Skripal, and the apparent improvement of her father Sergei, suggests that they could soon be able to talk openly about their ordeal. Yet in a statement issued on her behalf by the Metropolitan Police, Miss Skripal asked that her “privacy be respected”. This is understandable but it adds to a sense that so little is being revealed the Russians can make any outlandish allegation they like without being properly confronted. The Government needs to improve its communications and be more open with the British people.