LONDON, February 18. /TASS/. The Russian Embassy in London has expressed its concern over the fate of Russian citizens under control of British intelligence agencies, a spokesperson of the embassy stated on Sunday evening, commenting on the publication in the Sunday Times daily on the deteriorating health of former GRU officer Sergei Skripal.

"Unfortunately, the British officials do not inform the embassy on the health condition of the Skripals, who are currently in isolation. We do not have any idea about what is happening to them. Multiple requests sent to the Foreign Office remain without response," the Russian diplomat said. He added that several months earlier, Skripal’s niece Viktoria stated that according to his daughter Yulia, Skripal is in good health. However, now, according to the Sunday Times, he is in need of medical assistance.

"What does it all mean, what are they preparing us for by creating such a background? Whether it is leading to Sergei Skripal’s death and the destruction of evidence, like it happened with Dawn Sturgess (UK citizen who was killed in the Amesbury poisoning - TASS), it’s hard to say. But we are still very concerned about the fate of Russian citizens under complete control of the British security services. Another question also arises: will Yulia Skripal ever be allowed to come back home?" the spokesperson noted.

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.

On June 30, Dawn Sturgess, 44, and her partner Charlie Rowley, 45, were taken to a hospital in the city of Amesbury in critical condition. On the evening of July 8, Scotland Yard reported that Sturgess had died, and the investigators launched a murder case. Rowley regained consciousness on July 10. The London police anti-terrorism department earlier stated that Sturgess and Rowley had come into contact with Novichok - the same nerve agent that had poisoned former Colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia

On March 4, 2018, ex-GRU colonel Sergei Skripal, who had been convicted in Russia of spying for Great Britain, and his daughter Yulia suffered the effects of an alleged nerve agent in the British city of Salisbury. Claiming that the substance used in the attack had been a nerve agent allegedly developed in Russia, London rushed to accuse Moscow of being involved in the incident. The Russian side flatly rejected all of the United Kingdom’s accusations, saying that a program aimed at developing such a substance had existed neither in the Soviet Union nor in Russia. Britain’s military chemical laboratory at Porton Down has failed to identify the origin of the substance that poisoned the Skripals. The Russian Investigative Committee initiated criminal proceedings in connection with an attempt on Yulia Skripal’s life.