British Prime Minister: Former Spy Likely Poisoned by Russia

Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, stated on Monday, March 12, that a former Russian spy was poisoned with a type of military-grade nerve agent produced in Russia. In Parliament, Ms. May said it is 'highly likely' that Russia is responsible for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian security officer who was convicted years ago for espionage for Britain. Theresa May mentioned that the Russian ambassador in London has been summoned to clarify the matter, and the British government will consider this act as 'illegal use of force' by Russia. Before these statements, the Prime Minister participated in a National Security Council meeting where the latest report on the investigation was presented to her. Sergei Skripal and his daughter were hospitalized after a mysterious poisoning in Salisbury, Britain, on March 4, and they are still in intensive care. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, stated that the British government should conduct sufficient investigations before accusing Russia and determine what happened to Sergei Skripal. On Monday, Mr. Putin responded to a British journalist's question regarding Russia's involvement in this incident by saying, 'You should first conduct a complete investigation, and then we will talk about it.' Moscow has denied any involvement in this incident. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said at a press conference that Sergei Skripal worked for British security agencies and was poisoned on British soil, thus 'this incident has nothing to do with Russia, let alone the leadership of the country.' He added that no official statement regarding Russia's involvement has been released so far. Tom Tugendhat, a member of the British Parliament, said in an interview with BBC Radio on Monday that it is still too early to make a definitive statement about the incident, but he added that the poisoning of these two individuals 'strongly resembles state-sponsored assassination attempts.' Sergei Skripal, 66, was a former officer in the Russian military security service but was tried and imprisoned in Russia years ago after transferring classified information to Britain. He later sought asylum in Britain during a spy swap and has lived in the country for many years. According to reports from the Associated Press, the condition of the former Russian spy worsened due to 'exposure to an unknown substance.' The British police stated that the former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent, and they are currently investigating 240 pieces of evidence regarding the attack on the Russian spy.