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Questions for London about Skripal’s poisoning keep piling up, says Russian diplomat

The United Kingdom is making contradictory statements on the Skripal case, while questions for London continue to mount in Moscow, a diplomat says

MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. The United Kingdom is making contradictory statements on the Skripal case, while questions for London continue to mount in Moscow, Director of the Foreign Ministry Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Vladimir Yermakov said at a briefing for foreign ambassadors on Wednesday.

"The questions we have for London continue to pile up," he said. "We have not received a clear answer to any of them."

"The question as to what happened to the two Russian citizens in the United Kingdom still remains a mystery for us," the diplomat added. "So far, [our] British counterparts have been churning out absolutely contradictory statements. They have too many inconsistences."

On March 4, former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench near the Maltings shopping center in Salisbury. Police said they had been exposed to a nerve agent. Both are in the hospital in critical condition.

The UK accused Russia of being involved, but failed to produce any evidence. UK Prime Minister Theresa May on March 14 accused Russia of "unlawful use of force" against her country. She said that 23 Russian diplomats would be expelled from the country within one week and that all planned high-level bilateral contacts had been suspended.

Russia has rejected all of the United Kingdom’s accusations. On March 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that in response to the UK’s steps, 23 British diplomats would be expelled within a week. In addition, Britain’s consulate in St. Petersburg would be closed and the British Council’s operations in Russia would be terminated. Furthermore, Moscow pointed out that further measures could be taken "should there be any more hostile actions against Russia.".