Russian flag hung in town where spy was poisoned

LONDON — Officials in the English city where a former Russian double agent was poisoned with a nerve agent last year have denounced the placing of a huge Russian flag on the city’s cathedral.

Workmen were seen removing the flag early Sunday from scaffolding on the side of Salisbury Cathedral.

Salisbury’s representative in Parliament, John Glen, said the “stupid stunt” mocked the serious events that took place in the city. Ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were poisoned with the military grade nerve agent Novichok in March 2018.

The local police said in a statement it was aware of the flag but said it was “not a police matter.”

Both Skripals survived after weeks in the hospital. British officials have blamed their poisoning on Russian military intelligence. Moscow has denied wrongdoing.