Spy’s girl is out of hospital… but Moscow claims poison victims have been ‘abducted’
MOSCOW last night accused the British authorities of ‘abducting’ poisoned spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter as she was released from hospital.
Yulia Skripal, 33, was believed to have been taken to a ‘safe house’ in an undisclosed location for her own protection on Monday night.
She had spent five weeks in intensive care, coming out of a coma last week, after she and her father, 66, were attacked with nerve agent novichok.
Miss Skripal, who will continue to receive care, is expected to claim political asylum in the UK.
But Moscow – blamed for the attack in Salisbury – claimed any attempt to resettle the victims secretly would be seen as an ‘abduction’.
The Russian Embassy in London also demanded evidence Miss Skripal, a Russian citizen who has rejected consular assistance from Moscow, had not been coerced by British authorities.
The embassy said: ‘We congratulate Yulia on her recovery. Yet we need urgent proof that what is being done to her is done on her own free will.
‘Secret resettlement of Mr and Ms Skripal, barred from any contact with their family will be seen as an abduction or at least as their forced isolation.’
Doctors said that Mr Skripal would be discharged from hospital in ‘due course’. Referring to Miss Skripal, Dr Christine Blanshard, medical director at Salisbury District Hospital, said: ‘This is not the end of her treatment, but marks a significant milestone.’
Her release came as her cousin Viktoria, who was last week refused a visa to travel to Britain from Russia to visit her relatives, claimed Miss Skripal was close to making a statement about seeking political asylum in Britain.
Security sources have said Mr Skripal, who has British citizenship, and his daughter could be offered new identities and given a secret life in the US for their protection. In the meantime, Miss Skripal is expected to be granted asylum in the UK.
Russia has repeatedly denied any responsibility for the poisoning. But Theresa May has said categorically that the Kremlin was responsible for the nerve-agent attack in which the Skripals were found critically ill on a bench in Salisbury city centre on March 4.
It was initially feared the father and daughter had little chance of surviving the effects of the nerve agent, and their ‘ exceptional’ recovery has been attributed to early detection of the poison and rapid treatment.
Dr Blanshard said the chemical, which attacks the nervous system by disturbing enzymes, resulted in symptoms including hallucinations and sickness.
She said: ‘We then needed to use a variety of different drugs to support the patients until they could create more enzymes to replace those affected by the poisoning.
‘Both patients have responded exceptionally well to the treatment we’ve been providing. But equally, both patients are at different stages in their recovery.’
She said Mr Skripal had ‘made good progress’, adding: ‘Although he is recovering more slowly than Yulia, we hope that he too will be able to leave hospital in due course.’ Investigators believe the deadly chemical was smeared on the front door handle of the Salisbury home of Mr Skripal, who was said to be the main target.
Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, 38, also had treatment after being exposed to the poison and discharged from hospital on March 22. The long-term effects of novichok remain unclear.
Dr Blanshard paid tribute to hospital staff who worked during the ‘ enormously testing’ recent weeks and provided ‘ round the clock care’ to the three patients.
Miss Skripal made her first public statement last week, saying she had been left ‘ disorientated’ by the attack but her ‘ strength is growing daily’.
Viktoria Skripal yesterday asked for evidence her cousin has left hospital, saying: ‘They must let us see her… I find it hard to believe and can’t quite comprehend it.’
The 45-year- old also told Russian state media that her relatives will not be safe if they are relocated to the US and that her uncle ‘never wanted to go’ there because it was ‘an ideological enemy’.
However Miss Skirpal’s best friend, Irina Petrova, said she had been surprised at the statements, adding: ‘Viktoria wasn’t too close to Yulia.’
Speaking to Grazia magazine, the 33-year-old, who lives in Hamburg, revealed Miss Skripal had deleted links to relatives on social media accounts after the mysterious death of her brother last year.
She said: ‘After that she deleted all photos with relatives from her social media – maybe so no other loved ones could be tracked down. She used to post a lot of photos of her brother and her father.’
The Home Office refused to say whether Miss Skripal would claim political asylum, but said it was using ‘all necessary measures’ to support the investigation.
‘We need urgent proof’