Traitors are not safe on British soil, says Russia

Russian state television, a mouthpiece of the Kremlin, has warned ‘‘traitors’’ not to settle in Britain because of the risk of being killed.

Kirill Kleymenov, a prominent presenter, predicted death and disease for those who betrayed Russia, in a broadcast about the poisoning of a former spy and his daughter in Salisbury.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected within days to name Moscow as the chief suspect in the attempted assassination of Sergei and Yulia Skripal using a nerve agent.

Detectives are understood to be considering the possibility that the pair were poisoned at Skripal’s house in the Wiltshire town, where a police cordon has been extended to 150 metres and a fingertip search is being carried out. A source said that a nerve agent would result in a slower reaction if ingested, as opposed to being sprayed on to a victim.

In other developments yesterday:

❚ May vowed to ‘‘do what is appropriate, we will do what is right’’ if the chemical weapons attack was proved to be state-sponsored.

❚ A policeman left in a serious condition in hospital after being one of the first to help the Russian pair was named as Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey.

❚ It emerged that a total of 21 people, including the Skripals, have been treated after being exposed to the as yet unidentified poison.

❚ Home Secretary Amber Rudd signalled that tougher legislation to sanction dubious Russians could be introduced by the government.

❚ Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson warned that the Kremlin posed an ‘‘ever greater threat’’ and said that Britain must be not be pushed around by another nation.

❚ A Russian documentary alleged that Skripal was enticed into counterespionage by MI6 in Spain.

BRITAIN/RUSSIA:

Britain is in talks with the United States and Nato about a coordinated response to Russia if President Vladimir Putin’s regime is found to be behind the poisoning. This could include a review of participation by dignitaries of Nato states at the football World Cup in Russia, sources said. It has already been confirmed that the Duke of Cambridge will not attend the tournament.

Kleymenov, the presenter for Channel One’s flagship news programme Vremya, delivered a stark message to anyone caught spying for the UK.

‘‘For those who dream about such a career, I’d like to issue a precaution,’’ he said. ‘‘The profession of traitor is a lot more dangerous than that of a drug courier. It’s very rare that those who choose it live out their days in peace and serenity.

‘‘Alcoholism and drug addiction, stress, grave nervous disorders and depression are the inevitable professional illnesses of the traitor. And as a consequence, heart attacks, strokes, car accidents and suicide, after all.’’

In language that seemed designed to sound like a threat, Kleymenov added that it was especially unwise to flee to London.

‘‘Whatever the reasons, whether you’re a professional traitor to the motherland or you just hate your country in your free time, I repeat: no matter, don’t go to England,’’ he said.

‘‘Something is not right there. Maybe the climate. But in recent years there have been too many strange incidents with a harsh outcome. People get hanged, poisoned, they die in helicopter crashes and fall out of windows in industrial quantities.’’

The Russian foreign ministry has harangued British politicians and the media, accusing them of presuming Kremlin involvement without evidence. – The Times