LONDON, July 28. /TASS/. The Russian Embassy in the UK hopes to hear the opinion on the March 4 incident in Salisbury from a person involved in it most immediately - Yulia Skripal, the daughter of the former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, the Embassy’s press secretary said on Friday.
He voiced the Embassy’s position in a written statement answering a request to comment on a recent report by Viktoria Skripal, Yulia’s cousin sister living in the Russian city of Yaroslavl, that Yulia had made a phone call to her. The Embassy uploaded the answer at its official homepage.
"The Embassy has no reliable information concerning the contents of this conversation, and can neither deny nor confirm any information published in this regard, as the British authorities in violation of their international obligations continue to deny us access to Yulia Skripal," the press secretary said.
"This is not the first public statement on behalf of Yulia Skripal, but even her TV appearance on 23 May did not dispel our doubts over her freedom to do and say what she wants," he continued. "Back then we were under impression that Yulia did not use her own words and was reading a pre-written statement. We pointed out the facts supporting such conclusion."
"What’s important is that if Yulia, according to Viktoria, has indeed gained access to the Internet, it means that she had not enjoyed such access before, contrary to all claims by the British authorities that she is free to communicate with the outside world," the press secretary said. "Better late than never though."
He voiced the hope that Yulia would finally get an opportunity to familiarize herself with Russian assessments of the Salisbury incident, including the Embassy’s statements, and to learn how the Russian side had been trying to gain consular access to herself and her father in order to make sure that their rights and interests were duly observed.
"We know of Yulia’s refusal to communicate with us, but very much hope to hear her views on this matter in a free conversation rather that in a video statement recorded under police control," the press secretary said.
"We once again urge the British authorities to observe their obligations under international law, as they are keen to require from other states," he indicated.
According to the version of events promulgated by the UK authorities, the former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, who had served a term for espionage in favor of the UK in Russia, and his daughter Yulia sustained the impact of a nerve agent from a group notionally codenamed ‘novichok’ [a new arrival].
The British government came up with the assertions that Russia was ‘highly likely’ involved in the incident. Moscow strongly rejected all the assertions in this regard, saying neither the USSR nor Russia had ever developed substances of this group.
The chief of the UK military laboratory at Porton Down, Gary Aitkenhead, said later the British experts had failed to establish the origin of the substance, which the Skripals had been exposed to.