More on the Scripal case - 04/01/2018

Russia Claims Skripal Poisoning Was Staged By UK Intelligence

Zero Hedge,

1 April, 2018

Russia's Ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, says that London's reluctance to share information on the March 4 poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal has led Moscow to suggest that London authorities actually perpetrated the crime.

“We have very serious suspicion that this provocation was done by British intelligence,” Yakovenko told Russia's NTV channel - adding however that Moscow had no direct proof, but that the UK's behavior constitutes strong circumstantial evidence in support of their theory. 

Yakovenko also suggested that London had gained several benefits from the poisoning - both short and long-term, in that Theresa May's government is capitalizing on the event in order to boost support at home, while burying headlines over its failures to negotiate better Brexit terms. The long-term benefit, according to Yakovenko, is that London is able to elevate itself into a primary position in the ongoing confrontation between the West and Russia. 

“The Britons are claiming a leading role in the so-called containment of Russia. To win support from the people and the parliament for this containment of Russia, a serious provocation was required. And the Britons may have done a really savage one to get this support" -Alexander Yakovenko

Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in Salisbury using what the UK says was a "military grade" nerve agent developed by Russia from the "Novichok" family of toxins - however Russia's representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) told state-run television in mid-March that the U.S. and U.K. developed the military-grade nerve agent used in the attack.

"There has never been a ‘Novichok’ research project conducted in Russia," Shulgin told the Rossia-1 television station, as the The Moscow Times first reported. "But in the West, some countries carried out such research, which they called 'Novichok,' for some reason.”

According to military experts at the British Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, the substance used in the attack is part of the "Novichoks" family of nerve agents. This roughly translates into "newcomer" in Russian.

Speaking at the 87th session of the OPCW Friday, Shulgin suggested the “unfounded” accusations from the West should be redirected at themselves. “[It] may very well be that the substance used [in Skripal’s poisoning] may have come from the stocks” of the U.S. and U.K. -Newsweek

“Our British colleagues should recall that Russia and the United Kingdom are members of the OPCW which is one of the most successful and effective disarmament and non-proliferation mechanisms," Shulgin said. "We call upon them to abandon the language of ultimatums and threats and return to the legal framework of the chemical convention, which makes it possible to resolve this kind of situation."

Yakovenko also notes that the British authorities have insisted on withholding information from the public regarding the deaths of high-profile people with Russian ties, such as former Russian intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko, Georgian tycoon-turned-fugitive Badri Patarkatsishvili, Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky, and Russian whistleblower Aleksandr Perepilichny.

Following the Skripal poisoning, the UK and several of its allies responded by expelling Russian diplomats - with the Trump administration kicking 60 Russians out of the country, and the UK expelling 23. Russia returned "fire" with the expulsion of several foreign diplomats, and a demand that Britain scale back its diplomatic mission in Russia - affecting over 50 jobs. 

The UK still hasn't explained why out of the myriad of ways to kill a human being, Russia would use Novichok - certainly knowing it would directly implicate them in Skripal's death. 

Curiouser And Curiouser: Yulia Skripal Logged Into VK While In Coma

Russ Fort,

1 April, 2018

The 33-year-old daughter of Sergei Skripal, Yulia Skripal, visited her”Vkontakte” page – sort of a Russian version of Facebook – on the morning of March 7th, three days after the “assassination” attempt that put her allegedly in a coma, until just a few days ago. She was poisoned, according to the British government, along side her father Sergei, and according to the official version, hasn’t regained consciousness until quite recently.



There is the theoretical possibility that her page was hacked or an agency entered through her handheld device, if they were not protected by a password. Any hacking would probably be by employees of the British special services, though Russian agencies would also have an interest. There is also the curious statement by the head physician of the hospital, where she allegedly is with her father, that she came to her senses for a short time, before falling back in a coma.
Another possibility is that, in line with the statement of the head physician, she ‘came to her senses’ and actually wasn’t in a coma at all, or never ‘fell back’ into a coma.


It is especially strange that all this comes as we have news from the UK that the Foreign Office has said it is “considering Russia’s request for consular access to Yulia Skripal”.



We should keep in mind that the UK has utterly failed its obligations, legal and otherwise, to be transparent and grant access to Russia – given that Yulia is a Russian citizen. ‘Considering Russia’s request’ is itself reflective of an abrogation of international norms. It is not a ‘request’ which leaves the receiver of said request with any room for any answer than compliance. ‘Request’ is one of these legal terms which layman interprets as something other than a ‘demand’.



Is it strange that within a day of Russia putting forward its ‘request’, suddenly Yulia has recovered from her ‘coma’ and is now talking and interacting with people? Is this to prevent Russian consular authorities from confirming her condition, as they are legally obliged to do?

Yet another theory - AFTER the guilty party has been found and 'punished'

Was nerve agent spy poisoned by his breakfast? Police quiz daughter's friend who brought £1 bag of cereal from Russia as a gift

• Yulia, 33, was asked by Sergei Skripal to bring home his favourite porridge
  
• She forgot and instead asked a friend who was travelling later to buy it instead
  
• Metropolitan Police have questioned the unnamed woman over buckwheat
  

Police have questioned a woman who brought over a £1 bag of Sergei Skripal's favourite cereal from Russia after being asked by his daughter Yulia.

Her father had asked her to bring her buckwheat back from Moscow while on her trip but Ms Skripal, 33, forgot it.



She instead asked an unnamed woman who was flying back separately to bring over the Russian-style breakfast, according to The Sun.



The woman, who works for a major medical company in Russia, has been 'interrogated' by Scotland yard over the presents.

British MI6 had motive to murder Skripal - Saddam, Gaddafi, Assad, now regime change for Putin

Press TV

Skripal lies: Saddam, Gaddafi, Assad, latest regime change boogie man is Putin Over 20 countries to expel scores of Russian diplomats over UK spy poisoning Poisoned spy Sergei Skripal asked Putin for pardon so he could return to Russia, friend claims 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...