Russia Suspects London is Holding Skripal and His Daughter as Hostages

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Thursday that it has reason to believe that the report from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which confirmed the British conclusion regarding the nerve agent used in the attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, is part of a conspiracy by London to discredit Russia.

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing that Russia will not trust any conclusion regarding the poisoning of Skripal if its experts are not included in the investigation. She also stated that the United Kingdom needs to prove that it is not holding the poisoned former double agent Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal as hostages.

>>>Yulia Skripal ‘Safe’ After Leaving Hospital

Zakharova said that the father and daughter have been isolated by British authorities and that no one has seen them for more than a month. She also expressed doubt about the authenticity of recent statements made by Yulia Skripal.

British Prime Minister Theresa May earlier stated that Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent from the Novichok group, which the Soviet Union developed in the 1970s and 1980s. The OPCW, which took samples for analysis in Salisbury at the British request, did not blame anyone for the attack nor did it specifically name the poison in question. “The results of the analyses from the OPCW laboratories of environmental and biomedical samples collected by the OPCW team confirm the conclusions of the United Kingdom regarding the type of toxic chemical used in Salisbury that severely injured three people,” the report states. The police officer who assisted the Skripals also fell ill.

Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, however, stated that Russia will further study the OPCW report.

>>>Confused Yulia Skripal Made First Public Statement

The United Kingdom requested a meeting of the UN Security Council regarding Russian involvement in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal after the chemical weapons monitoring organization confirmed British analyses that a chemical agent was used, and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson stated that there is now no doubt that Russia is responsible for the attempted murder of the former Russian spy.

Johnson said that Russia “must provide answers” after Skripal, his daughter, and a police officer were hospitalized due to the Novichok nerve agent.

>>>One of the Creators of the Nerve Agent: Skripals Survived, Poisoning is Not an Act of Moscow

“There can be no doubt about what was used and there is no other explanation for who is responsible,” Johnson said after tests in four laboratories associated with the chemical weapons monitoring organization confirmed British results that a nerve agent was used in last month’s attack.

“Only Russia has the means, motives, and opportunities.”

The United Kingdom requested on Thursday that the UN Security Council meet next week.

The poisoning of the former double agent in the United Kingdom last month shows “how reckless Russia is willing to be,” said the head of the British intelligence agency GCHQ on Thursday in a sharp attack on the Kremlin.

>>>Skripal Most Likely Poisoned in His Home

In his first public speech since taking over as head of the British intelligence agency last year, Jeremy Fleming said that the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in southern England was “particularly striking and shocking.” He accused Russia of blurring the lines between criminal acts and state activities.

The United Kingdom has accused Russia of the attack on Skripal while Moscow has denied any involvement. This has triggered one of the largest diplomatic crises between Russia and Western countries since the Cold War.