MOSCOW, February 17. /TASS/. An article in The Sunday Times about the condition of former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal is another example of "a managed leak" and a proof that the British media have links with the special services, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday.
"It’s another example of a ‘managed leak’," she wrote in her Facebook post. "It is another evidence of a direct link between the UK special services and the media."
Earlier, The Sunday Times reported citing "a well-informed intelligence source" that Sergei Skripal’s condition "has taken a downturn, even though it is not deemed critical" and that he had been receiving medical care at his home. The source added that no one could predict what will happen to the former Russian military intelligence officer since there is little that is known about the long-term impact of the nerve agent.
According to London's version, on March 4, 2018, former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, convicted in Russia of spying for Britain, and his daughter Yulia, were exposed to a 'Novichok-class' nerve agent in Salisbury. The British government claimed that Russia was "highly likely" behind the incident. However, Moscow strongly dismissed all speculations on that score, adding that programs for developing this substance had never existed in the Soviet Union or Russia. Britain’s military chemical laboratory at Porton Down failed to pinpoint the origin of the substance that poisoned the Skripals.
On September 5, British Prime Minister Theresa May briefed parliament on the investigation’s findings to declare that two Russians carrying passports issued in the names of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov were suspected accomplices in the assassination attempt. Britain regards both men as GRU agents. Petrov and Boshirov in an interview to the RT television channel dismissed the charges.