Moscow accuses Britain of holding poisoned spy's daughter hostage: Russian Embassy claims Yulia Skripal was pressured into giving statement claiming nerve agent attack was attempted assassination
- Russian ex-spy and his daughter poisoned in Salisbury, UK, using nerve agent
- Skripal and daughter Yulia, 33, have since been discharged from hospital
- She has said she is 'lucky to be alive' following the attack in her first statement
- But despite the poisoning plot, Yulia insists she would like to return to Russia
- Miss Skripal called the attack an 'attempted assassination' but didn't blame Putin
- 'We are glad to have seen Yulia Skripal alive and well' the Russian Embassy said
The daughter of an ex Russian spy who was poisoned with a deadly nerve agent has spoken for the first time since the attack, calling it an 'attempted assassination', but pulled back from blaming Putin directly despite admitting she is 'lucky to be alive'.
Yulia Skripal and her father Sergei Skripal were poisoned with the chemical agent Novichok and were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury, on March 4.
The assassination attempt sparked international condemnation and prompted calls from British MPs to clamp down on Putin's oligarchs using the so-called Magnitsky bill, which would allow the government to freeze assets of human rights abusers.
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The daughter of an ex Russian spy who was poisoned with a deadly nerve agent has spoken for the first time since the attack, calling it an 'attempted assassination' - but pulled back from blaming Putin directly, despite admitting she is 'lucky to be alive'
Detailing the harrowing attack in a hand written letter, Miss Skripal said: 'The fact that a nerve agent was used to do this is shocking. My life has been turned upside down.'
A two inch scar was visible across her windpipe as she spoke - thought to be from an emergency tracheotomy performed by paramedics battling to save her life.
Despite the poisoning and her subsequent 33 days spent in a coma, Miss Skripal did not point the finger squarely at the Kremlin and said she wants to return to her home country some day.
Following Miss Skripal's public appearance, the Russian Embassy released a statement, writing: 'We are glad to have seen Yulia Skripal alive and well.'
But claimed: 'The video shown only strengthens our concerns as to the conditions in which she is being held.'
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Miss Skripal's appearance comes just days after Russian president Vladimir Putin taunted Mr Skripal following his release from hospital, remarking he would have 'died on the spot' had he been attacked with a military-grade toxin.
Putin wished Mr Skripal 'good health' during a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week.
But he added: 'God grant him good health... If a military-grade poison had been used, the man would have died on the spot. Thank God he recovered and that he left (hospital).'
Despite the poisoning, Yulia Skripal says she wants to return to her country', detailing the harrowing attack in a hand written letter. 'The fact that a nerve agent was used to do this is shocking,' Skripal said. 'My life has been turned upside down'
Sergei, thought to be the main target of the attack, is a former colonel in Russian military intelligence who betrayed dozens of agents to MI6.
Miss Skripal was speaking from a secret location in London as she is under the protection of the British state. She was discharged from Salisbury District Hospital about five weeks after the poisoning and has not been seen by the media until now.
'We are so lucky to have both survived this attempted assassination. Our recovery has been slow and extremely painful,' she said in her written English statement.
'As I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally, I take one day at a time and want to help care for my Dad till his full recovery. In the longer term I hope to return home to my country.'
Yulia and her father Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russian military intelligence who betrayed dozens of agents to Britain´s MI6 foreign spy service, were found unconscious on a public bench in the British city of Salisbury on March 4
Mr Skripal, recruited by British spies while in Spain, ended up in Britain after a Cold War-style spy swap that brought 10 Russian spies captured in the United States back to Moscow in exchange for those accused by Moscow of spying for the West
Miss Skripal spoke in Russian and supplied a statement that she said she had written herself in both Russian and English. She signed both documents after making her statement. She declined to answer questions after speaking to camera.
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 1980s. May, along with many other world leaders, blame Russia for the poisoning.
It was the first known use of a military-grade nerve agent on European soil since World War Two. Allies in Europe and the United States sided with May's view and ordered the biggest expulsion of Russian diplomats since the height of the Cold War.
'As I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally, I take one day at a time and want to help care for my Dad till his full recovery. In the longer term I hope to return home to my country' Yulia said
A two inch scar was visible across her windpipe as she spoke - thought to be from an emergency tracheotomy performed by paramedics battling to save her life
Russia retaliated by expelling Western diplomats. Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement and accused the British intelligence agencies of staging the attack to stoke anti-Russian hysteria.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he thought Yulia Skripal was speaking under duress.
'We have not seen her or heard from her,' he said when asked to comment on the story.
Russia's ambassador in London, Alexander Yakovenko, has repeatedly demanded to see Yulia, who was a Russian citizen when she was poisoned.
Mystery surrounds the attack. The motive is unclear, as is the logic of using such an exotic nerve agent which has overt links to Russia's Soviet past
'I'm grateful for the offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy. But at the moment I do not wish to avail myself of their services,' Miss Skripal, who wore a light blue summer dress and had her hair cut to shoulder length.
'Also, I want to reiterate what I said in my earlier statement, that no one speaks for me, or for my father but ourselves.'
Mystery surrounds the attack. The motive is unclear, as is the logic of using such an exotic nerve agent which has overt links to Russia's Soviet past.
Russian officials question why Russia would want to attack an ageing turncoat who was pardoned and swapped in a Kremlin-approved 2010 spy swap.
'I don't want to describe the details but the clinical treatment was invasive, painful and depressing,' she said in Russian.
Yulia's father was discharged from hospital on May 18. At one point doctors feared both patients could have suffered brain damage. He is no longer in a critical condition, Salisbury hospital said.
Miss Skripal was speaking from a secret location in London as she is under the protection of the British state. She was discharged from Salisbury District Hospital about five weeks after the poisoning and has not been seen by the media until now
Born as a citizen of a superpower, Yulia grew up as the Soviet Union crumbled and then in the chaos that followed its 1991 collapse.
Her Facebook page says she started studying at Moscow's School No. 63 in 1991 before gaining admission to Moscow State Humanities University in 2001, a year after Putin was first elected as Russian president.
In December 2004, her father was arrested by Federal Security Service agents on suspicion of treason: passing secrets to Britain's MI6 intelligence agency.
Miss Skripal spoke in Russian and supplied a statement that she said she had written herself in both Russian and English. She signed both documents after making her statement
Miss Skripal, recruited by British spies while in Spain, ended up in Britain after a Cold War-style spy swap that brought 10 Russian spies captured in the United States back to Moscow in exchange for those accused by Moscow of spying for the West.
Yulia arrived in Britain from Russia at London's Heathrow Airport at about 1440 GMT on March 3 on one of her regular visits to her father. The pair were found unconscious a day later.
'I am grateful to all of the wonderful, kind staff at Salisbury hospital, a place I have become all too familiar with. I also think fondly of those who helped us on the street on the day of the attack.' (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge Editing by Simon Robinson and Nick Tattersall)
Yulia Skripal full press statement
Yulia Skripal says she wants to return to her country 'in the longer term', despite the poisoning
Good day, my name is Yulia Skripal. I came to the UK on March 3rd to visit my father, something I have done before.
After 20 days in a coma, I woke to the news that we may have been poisoned. I still find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that both of us were attacked in a such a way.
The fact that a nerve agent was used to do this is shocking. We are so lucky to have both survived this attempted assassination. I don't want to describe the details but the clinical treatment was invasive, painful and depressing.
Our recovery has been slow and extremely painful. I am grateful to all of the wonderful, kind staff at Salisbury hospital, a place I have become all too familiar with.
I also think fondly of those who helped us on the street on the day of the attack. I was discharged from hospital on April 9th and continue to progress with treatment but my life has been turned upside down.
As I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally, I take one day at a time and want to help care for my father until his full recovery.
In the longer term I hope to return home to my country. I wish to address a couple of issues directly and have chosen to interrupt my rehabilitation to make this short statement.
I ask that everyone respects the privacy of me and my father. We need time to recover and come to terms with everything that has happened.
I'm grateful for the offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy but at the moment I do not wish to avail myself of their services.
Also, I want to reiterate what I said in my earlier statement: that no one speaks for me, or for my father, but ourselves.
I would like to thank again everyone involved in my continued care, in this difficult period of my life. My priority remains on my recovery and my father's health. Thank you for your attention.
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