LONDON, October 14. /TASS/. Former Russian military intelligence (GRU) Colonel Sergey Skripal, convicted in Russia of spying for Britain, felt safe in the United Kingdom and did not think it was necessary to hide his identity, according to his written testimony read out during a public hearing in the English city of Salisbury.

"I have been shown a small picture of a Daily Mail headline. It seems to say I had told people my life was in danger weeks before the 2018 attack. I do not remember believing or telling anyone this - the article is false or based on a misunderstanding. My life was normal and I had no information or warning to support such a comment. I was aware of nothing special or different around that time," Skripal said in a statement read out by lawyer Andrew O’Connor.

The former officer pointed out that he did not know which organizations were responsible for ensuring his safety in the UK. "I do not remember concretely what was covered in discussions about my personal security arrangements, but I believe I was offered protection, including changing my name. It was never suggested that this was a necessary option and I decided against it. I had received a Presidential pardon from the Russian state and wanted to lead as normal a life as possible, including maintaining my personal and family relationships," he emphasized.

Skripal also said that he used ordinary means of communication and that his home had no security system. He also refused CCTV cameras as he "did not want to live under surveillance". "I did not keep my address secret, and when I visited London and stayed overnight, I registered at a hotel under my own name," he said, adding that he was unaware of the risk assessments regularly carried out by the British intelligence services regarding his security.

Meanwhile, O'Connor quoted Jonathan Allen, head of defense and intelligence at the British Foreign Office, as saying in a statement that an alleged operation to eliminate Skripal and his daughter demanded "the required seniority under Russian law."

Skripal saga

According to London, former Russian military intelligence (GRU) Colonel Sergey Skripal, who had been convicted in Russia of spying for Great Britain and later swapped for Russian intelligence officers, and his daughter Yulia, were exposed to an alleged nerve agent in the British city of Salisbury on March 4, 2018. Claiming that the substance used in the attack had been a Novichok-class nerve agent developed in the Soviet Union, London rushed to accuse Russia of being involved in the incident. Moscow strongly rejected all of the United Kingdom’s accusations, saying that neither the Soviet Union nor Russia ever had any program aimed at developing such a substance. Experts from the United Kingdom’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down were unable to identify the origin of the substance allegedly used in the attack on the Skripals.

On July 4, 2018, the British police reported an incident in the town of Amesbury where two people had been taken to the hospital in critical condition after being affected by an unidentified substance. London’s Metropolitan Police later confirmed that the man and the woman had been poisoned with the same nerve agent that had been used on the Skripals. The woman - 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess - died on July 8, while her partner - 45-year-old Charlie Rowley - survived.

London claims that the Russian government was involved in the Skripal poisoning, using the A234 nerve agent, while Sturgess became an accidental victim after getting a bottle that Rowley had collected in a park thinking it contained perfume. Moscow strongly rejected the allegations. The Russian Foreign Ministry has sent dozens of diplomatic notes to the British Foreign Office, demanding that London provide Moscow with access to the investigation and the affected Russian nationals, as well as requesting legal assistance and offering cooperation, particularly in a joint probe.

The public inquiry hearing has begun in Salisbury on October 14.