The Russian embassy in the United Kingdom stated that the UK Foreign Office had refused to share with Russia the samples of the substance allegedly used for the Skripal’s poisoning, along with the failure to respond Moscow’s inquiries on his treatment.
The statement follows the announcement by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made earlier in the day, who has stated that Russia hadn’t received the conclusions of the UK government laboratory in Porton Down on the Skripal case.
The mentioned conclusions refer to April 3 report by DSTL chief executive Gary Aitkenhead, who said they had identified the nerve agent used to poison the Skripals, but have not verified the precise source.
Sergei Skripal, a former Russian GRU colonel who then worked for UK intelligence, and his daughter Yulia, were found senseless on a bench in a shopping center in Salisbury. As the UK government has alleged, the Skripals were exposed to the A234 nerve agent, supposedly related to the Novichok-class nerve agents developed in the Soviet Union.
Following the incident, British Prime Minister Theresa May called Russia “highly likely” responsible for the attack on the Skripals and expelled 23 Russian diplomats.
Expressing their solidarity with the UK position on the issue, more than two dozen countries expelled more than 150 Russian diplomats over the Skripal case.
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May greets people after visiting the scene where former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found after they were poisoned with a nerve agent, in Salisbury, Britain March 15, 2018
Russia has denied any involvement in the incident and repeatedly offered assistance to conduct a joint investigation as per international law and requests samples of the chemical substance presumably used to poison the Skripals, but has been rejected.
Apart from that, Russian officials have continuously pointed out that the United Kingdom has not offered evidence to support the allegations it made with respect to the poisoning incident.