Skripal poisoned Russian spy out of ICU
News & Trends •
if the correct treatment is given quickly and the right support provided then recovery is typically very good1 skripal 66 who as a colonel in russian military intelligence betrayed dozens of agents to britains foreign spy service was found unconscious on a bench in the city of salisbury along with his daughter yulia on march 4. he and daughter had been poisoned with a nerve agent novichok1 after weeks of no reported change in his condition the hospital confirmed that skripal who had been treated under heavy sedation was now making fast progress1 he is responding well to treatment improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition christine blanshard medical director at salisbury district hospital said in a statement1 prime minister theresa may said the skripals were poisoned with novichok a deadly group of nerve agents developed by the soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s1 russia has said it does not have such nerve agents and president vladimir putin dismissed as nonsense the notion that moscow would have poisoned skripal and his 33-year-old daughter1 the attack prompted the biggest western expulsion of russian diplomats since the cold war as allies in europe and the united states sided with mays view that moscow was either responsible or had lost control of the nerve agent1 moscow has hit back by expelling western diplomats questioning how britain knows that russia was responsible and offering its rival interpretations including that it amounted to a plot by british secret services1 skripals improvement marks the latest twist in an affair that british and russian diplomats have variously compared with sherlock holmes and agatha christie mysteries1 doctors had initially feared that the skripals might have suffered permanent brain damage. a british judge said last month that the attack might have left them with compromised mental capacity with an unclear effect on their long-term health1 the hospital did not say whether either sergei or yulia would suffer long term effects. britains foreign office welcomed the improvement in the skripals but said they were likely to have ongoing medical needs1 one toxicologist said recovery in such cases was possible. we know that nerve agents cause a temporary but potentially lengthy effect on the brain and nervous system. what we also know however is that with time the body clears the nerve agent away chris morris a doctor at newcastle universitys medical toxicology centre said in a statement1 britain blamed russia for the poisoning the first known offensive use of such a nerve agent on european soil since world war two. moscow denied any involvement and suggested britain had carried out the attack to stoke anti-russian hysteria1 yulias health has also improved rapidly. on thursday she issued a statement through british police to thank hospital staff and people who came to her help when when my father and i were incapacitated1 russian state television reported that yulia had phoned her cousin in russia and told her that she and her father were both recovering and that she expected to leave hospital soon. their recovery could ultimately help british counter-terrorism police piece together how they were attacked1 british authorities have denied the cousin viktoria skripal a visa to visit the patients the home office interior ministry said on friday. victoria skripal told sky news that the british must have something to hide after the decision1 both moscow and london have accused each other of trying to deceive the world with an array of claims counter-claims and threats1 in a separate announcement the united states imposed major sanctions on friday against 24 russians in one of washingtons most aggressive moves to punish moscow for what it called a range of malign activity including alleged meddling in the 2016 u.s. election1 at a session of the executive of the global chemical weapons watchdog this week russia called for a joint inquiry into the poisoning of the skripals but lost a vote on the motion1 at a united nation security council meeting on thursday russia warned britain that youre playing with fire and youll be sorry over its accusations1 sergei skripal who was recruited by britains mi6 was arrested for treason in moscow in 2004. he ended up in britain after being swapped in 2010 for russian spies caught in the united states1 since emerging from the john le carre world of high espionage and betrayal skripal lived modestly in salisbury and kept out of the spotlight until he was found poisoned1 british police believe a nerve agent was left on the front door of his home. skripals cat was put down by british authorities. his guinea pigs were discovered dead1 when a vet was able to access the property two guinea pigs had sadly died a british government spokeswoman said1 a cat was also found in a distressed state and a decision was taken by a veterinary surgeon to euthanise the animal to alleviate its suffering the spokeswoman said1