Theresa May demands Russia prove it is not guilty of poisoning double agent Sergei Skripal - Russians warn this could sever diplomatic relations

RT
Mon, 12 Mar 2018 18:35 UTC

© AFP

Britain has given Moscow two days to explain the alleged use of a military-grade nerve agent from Russia to poison former double agent Sergei Skripal. PM Theresa May says it is "highly likely" Russia was responsible.

She alleges the attack was either a direct act by the Russian state on Britain, or the Russian government allowed its nerve agent 'Novichok' to get into the wrong hands. "The government has concluded that it is highly likely that Russia was responsible," she said.

"Either this was a direct act by the Russian State against our country, or the Russian government lost control of this potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others."

She added that Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, summoned the Russian ambassador to the foreign office on Monday. He said Russia must explain which of the two possible explanations is the correct one. She says the ambassador must reply by the end of Tuesday.

May says if Russia does not give a "credible response" the government will conclude that the attack involved "unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom." May says if the government does come to that conclusion, she will return to the Commons to outline retaliatory proposals.

"This attempted murder using a weapons-grade nerve agent in a British town was not just a crime against the Skripals. It was an indiscriminate and reckless act against the United Kingdom, putting the lives of innocent civilians at risk," she added.

"We will not tolerate such a brazen attempt to murder innocent civilians on our soil."

Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter have been in hospital in a critical condition since March 4 when they were found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping center in Salisbury.

May says the government will be considering whether dignitaries and ministers from the UK will be attending the World Cup. But she did not say anything about the England team boycotting the event, which suggests that that is not on the agenda.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for a "robust" dialogue with Russia. "We need to continue seeking a robust dialogue with Russia on all the issues dividing our countries, both domestic and international - rather than simply cutting off contact and simply letting tensions and divisions get worse, and potentially even more dangerous."

He caused uproar among Tory MPs by raising the issue of £800,000 donated by Russian oligarchs to the Conservative Party.

The Prime Minister chaired a National Security Council (NSC) meeting on Monday, which brought together senior ministers with intelligence and security officials.

Russia has denied any involvement in the attack.

Comment: What absurd declarations coming from Theresa May. There's nothing Russia can say to speak to the irrationality or the planned provocation of a blatant disinformation campaign against Russia. First of all, the same army base that is analyzing the nerve agent used on Skripal also makes the notoriously deadly nerve agent VK, and is just miles away from where the attack occurred. Second, it's plain ridiculous to think that a poison developed in the Soviet Union almost 30 years ago, couldn't have been obtained or manufactured by covert Western operations in the time since. Third, if Russia really were to take out a double agent, they wouldn't be leaving obvious fingerprints that trace back to them. Fourth, Skripal is a has-been spy. The UK already has all the intelligence they could have obtained from him. Fifth, the burden of proof is on Britain since it is making the accusation. The attempt on Skripal's life obviously does more for Western intelligence operations than for Russia.

See the Joe Quinn's Sott Focus for more information: MI5 Poisons Another Russian Asset to Smear Putin in Ongoing Propaganda War

Update: The Russian Foreign Ministry has rightly called the British parliament hearing a "circus show".

"The conclusion is obvious: this is another information and political campaign, based on provocation," said Maria Zakharova, commenting on the words of Theresa May.
...
"Before creating new fairy tales, let somebody in the kingdom tell us what was the result of the previous investigations into the Litvinenko, Berezovsky and Perepilichny cases," Zakharova suggested.

Zakharova's comments referenced three high-profile deaths which occurred in the UK and were blamed on Russia - despite zero evidence to this day.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov specifically addressed the case of Litvinenko on Friday, noting that the UK's finger-pointing at Moscow runs parallel to what happened in that case.

"I want to remind people that Litvinenko's death was also attributed to Russia, but hasn't been investigated, because court proceedings, which were called 'public,' were, in fact, closed. They were carried out in a very strange way, and numerous facts, which emerged throughout the investigation, haven't come into the public domain," the minister said.

Russian senator Igor Morozov warns that this could dramatically affect Russia-UK diplomatic relations:

"There are few precedents of such political pressure and blackmail, and all of them ended in one fashion - severance of diplomatic ties or their downgrade in the form of a recall of ambassadors," Russian Senator and intelligence veteran Igor Morozov said.

The accusations represent the "utmost disrespect" towards international law, since not even a trace of evidence, proof or fact was presented to link Skripal's case to Russia, Morozov said. Russia will wait to see the actions of London and will respond accordingly, the official warned.

"The British must realize that they will face a very stiff response from Russia, and our position will be restrained and adequate, but bold. We will see what the London move will be and respond to this challenge," Morozov added.

The head of the Federal Council committee tasked with protecting Russia's sovereignty, Senator Andrey Klimov, said that the whole situation around Skripal's case looks like a premeditated anti-Russia provocation. While the former double agent was of "no interest" to Russia, the incident is very convenient for foreign intelligence services, he stated.

"If the UK decides to expel Russian diplomats in connection with the Skripal case, Moscow's response will be adequate and swift, this situation as a whole looks like a well thought-out anti-Russian move," he said.