MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Russia’s ambassador in London receives from the UK Foreign Office only poorly worded formal replies to the Russian side’s inquiries and notes on the Skripal case, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday.
"As of now, all the Russian ambassador in London has received are mere formal replies. More to it, poorly worded replies," she said in an interview with the Voskresny Vecher weekly news roundup on the Rossiya-1 television channel.
"The quality of work of the British side is simply surprising, with hasty actions and complete lack of in-house coordination," she noted.
A serious diplomatic scandal erupted between Moscow and London early last week, following the poisoning of former Russian military intelligence (GRU) Colonel Sergei Skripal, who had been convicted of high treason in Russia, and his daughter Yulia. The two of them suffered the effects of a nerve agent in the British city of Salisbury on March 4. They are currently in the hospital in a critical condition.
London accused Moscow of being involved in the attack but failed to present any evidence. British Prime Minister Theresa May said the substance used in the attack had been a Novichok-class nerve agent developed in the former Soviet Union. 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.".