Poisoned Russian spy Sergei Skripal is “improving rapidly,” his doctors announced Friday — prompting Russia’s UK embassy to tweet, “Good news!”

“He is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition,” said Dr. Christine Blanshard, medical director at Salisbury District Hospital, according to the BBC.

His daughter, Yulia, who also fell sick in the nerve-agent attack, is on the mend as well, she added.

“As Yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she is well enough to leave the hospital,” Blanshard said.

Sergei Skripal — who was jailed in Russia for selling secrets to the UK before being freed and sent to England in a 2010 prisoner swap — and his daughter have been in the hospital since March 4, when they suddenly collapsed on a park bench due to exposure to the deadly poison.

The UK government has pointed the finger at the Kremlin for the attack — igniting a diplomatic row between Moscow and Western nations that has seen Russian envoys expelled from more than 20 countries.

Following the announcement of the Skripals’ improving health, Russia’s embassy tweeted messages of support for the pair — and a broadside against the UK.

“We hope that the improvement of Sergei and Yulia Skripal’s health will contribute to the investigation of the crime perpetrated against them. We are confident that an objective probe will ultimately establish that the claims against Russia by UK Government are null and void,” the embassy wrote.</s>The daughter of a former Russian spy left seriously ill after being poisoned has said her "strength is growing daily" after breaking her silence from hospital.

Yulia Skripal and her father Sergei have been in hospital since the nerve agent attack on March 4 when they were found slumped on a bench near a shopping centre in Salisbury.

But it was revealed last week that she was conscious and talking after waking from a coma, while her father remained in a critical condition.

But in a full statement, released today via the Met Police, she that her "strength is growing daily".

She added: “I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received.

"Further than that, I would like to thank the staff at Salisbury District Hospital for their care and professionalism.

“I am sure you appreciate that the entire episode is somewhat disorientating, and I hope that you’ll respect my privacy and that of my family during the period of my convalescence.”

The statement was released at the same time an unverified conversation between Yulia and her cousin, Victoria, was handed to Russia State TV, saying Sergei was "resting" and "sleeping" but that "nobody has got anything they won’t recover from".

In response to the news, Russia's ambassador to the UK said he was glad to hear that the 33-year-old was recovering and the he hopes her father will recover too.

Told that Yulia Skripal had issued a statement, Alexander Yakovenko said he wanted to "congratulate my compatriots that they are well".

He also told reporters that he would accept the results of test by the international chemical weapons inspectors on the nerve agent, which is suspected to be Novichok.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a global chemical weapons watchdog, is investigating the case.

Prior to the condition check last week, relatives has said they feared both only had a slim chance of survival.

However, experts at Salisbury NHS Trust said that Ms Skripal's condition had improved and her condition was downgraded from critical.

Court documents had previously said the mental capacity of the pair may be compromised to an unknown degree.

The papers showed that while Mr Skripal was unable to communicate in any way, his daughter was unable to communicate in any "meaningful way".

The Court of Protection in London also said it was not possible to say when or to what extent Sergei and Yulia Skripal may "regain capacity"

The positive update on Ms Skripal's condition came the day after police revealed she and her dad likely first came into contact with the Novichok at their front door.

The Metropolitan Police announced detectives believe the pair first came into contact with the nerve agent there.

Specialists have identified the highest concentration of Novichok - a rare and highly toxic substance - as being on the Skripals' front door, the force added.

The poisoning has led to a heightening diplomatic row between Russia and the UK and its allies.

The Kremlin will tonight drag the row over the poisoning to the UN Security Council.

The council meets later after Moscow seized on Britain deleting a tweet that wrongly claimedPorton Down had traced the nerve agent used in the attack to Russia.

Today it was reported that despite the row, British spooks know which Russian lab produced the nerve agent which poisoned Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on March 4.

Security minister Ben Wallace told the BBC: "That nerve agent has been identified to being manufactured we believe in Russia.

"We believe that the nerve agent, the Novichok type of nerve agent, is only capable of being produced by a nation state.

"And then we add that to intelligence we hold, we add that to some of the police investigation that's going on right now.

"And we can say that roads lead to Russia, that we are beyond reasonable doubt of the view that the Russian state is behind this."</s>The former Russian spy poisoned with a nerve agent is no longer critically ill in hospital, according to doctors. Sergei Skripal, 66, is “responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and no longer in a critical condition”. It comes on the back of the news his daughter Yulia’s condition is also improving after the attack on 4 March, which left them both fighting for their lives.

Police believe Skripal and his daughter, who was visiting him from Russia, first came into contact with the Novichok agent at his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Dr Christine Blanshard, medical director at Salisbury District Hospital, said: “Following intense media coverage yesterday, I would like to take the opportunity to update you on the condition of the two remaining patients being treated at Salisbury District Hospital. “Last Thursday, I informed you that Yulia Skripal’s condition had improved to stable. As Yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she is well enough to leave the hospital. “Any speculation on when that date will be is just that – speculation. In the meantime, Yulia has asked for privacy while she continues to get better – something I’d like to urge the media to respect.

“I also want to update you on the condition of her father, Sergei Skripal. He is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition. “As you’ll appreciate, I won’t be giving any further updates at this time.” Following the news that Skripal’s condition had improved, the Russian Embassy to the UK tweeted: “Good news!” In her first statement since coming out of a coma last week, Yulia, 33, said: “I woke up over a week ago now and am glad to say my strength is growing daily. I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received.” Russia has appealed for the UK to issue visas for relatives to visit the Skripals in hospital in Salisbury, where they are being treated for exposure to the deadly chemical. It has warned Britain is “playing with fire and will be sorry” over the poisonings as the two countries traded jibes at the United Nations. Russian UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya claimed the UK’s main argument about the “unquestionable Russian origin” of the Novichok is “no longer valid” following comments from Porton Down’s Gary Aitkenhead. Moscow called the UN Security Council meeting to discuss the incident, with foreign minister Sergey Lavrov saying the UK has “legitimate questions” to answer about what happened. But security minister Ben Wallace said it was “beyond reasonable doubt” that Russia was to blame for the attack, as the UK sought to maintain diplomatic pressure over the incident. On Wednesday, Russia lost a vote at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague on its demand for its experts to be involved in testing samples of the substance used in the Salisbury attack. Meanwhile, two guinea pigs were found dead at Mr Skripal’s home after the property was sealed off for investigations. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs added a cat was also found in a distressed state at the house and a decision was taken to euthanise the pet.</s>The former Russian double agent, 66, who was poisoned with a nerve agent on March 4 along with his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia, was left fighting for his life in hospital after being found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury. The shocking news of a change in his condition comes after it emerged last week the health of his daughter, Yulia, had also stabilised and that she was looking forward to leaving hospital. Police who launched an investigation into the attempted murders of Mr Skripal and his daughter, who was visiting him from Russia, believe that the pair first came into contact with the novichok nerve agent at his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Specialists investigating the incident have found the highest confrontation of the military-grade agent on the front door of Mr Sergei’s Salisbury home. Christine Blanshard, medical director at Salisbury District Hospital, said: "Following intense media coverage yesterday, I would like to take the opportunity to update you on the condition of the two remaining patients being treated at Salisbury District Hospital.

"Last Thursday, I informed you that Yulia Skripal's condition had improved to stable. As Yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she is well enough to leave the hospital. "Any speculation on when that date will be is just that - speculation. In the meantime, Yulia has asked for privacy while she continues to get better - something I'd like to urge the media to respect.” Ms Blanchard added: ”I also want to update you on the condition of her father, Sergei Skripal. He is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition.” Reacting to reports of Mr Skripal’s improved health, the Russian Embassy to the UK tweeted: “Good news!” The development in Mr Skripal’s health comes a day after Yulia Skripal released a statement through the Metropolitan police in which she said “my strength is growing daily”.

In a separate telephone conversation allegedly recorded by her cousin Viktoria Skripal in Moscow, Yulia, when questioned about the health of her father, said: “Everything’s OK, he’s resting now, he’s sleeping. Everyone’s health is OK. No one has had any irreversible [harm].” The poisoning of the Skripals has caused international tensions after the UK blamed the Russian government for the attack. Russia has vehemently denied any allegations of involvement in the incident. And Russia has appealed for the UK to issue visas for relatives to visit the Skripals in hospital in Salisbury, where they are being treated for exposure to the deadly chemical. Following Britain’s main argument about the “unquestionable Russian origin” of the nerve agent, Russian UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya claimed the narrative is “no longer valid”. There was no immediate reaction from the British government to the news. It comes as Russia’s foreign minister repeated a challenge to Britain to produce evidence prove that Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by Russia.</s>The poisoned daughter of Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal said Thursday her "strength is growing daily," and that she is grateful for the interest shown in her case.

In a statement released by Metropolitan Police, Yulia Skripal, 33, said that she woke up over a week ago after being poisoned along with her father in the southwestern city of Salisbury on March 4.

"I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received," she said. "I have many people to thank for my recovery and would especially like to mention the people of Salisbury that came to my aid when my father and I were incapacitated. Further than that, I would like to thank the staff at Salisbury District Hospital for their care and professionalism."

The 33-year-old added that the entire episode is "somewhat disorientating," and that she hopes that the public will "respect my privacy and that of my family during the period of my convalescence."

In the statement, Skripal made no mention of the condition of her father, Sergei. Both have been treated at the Salisbury District Hospital since being found collapsed on a public bench on 4 March.

Britain has blamed Russia for the poisoning using a military grade nerve agent. In response, more than two dozen Western allies including Britain, the U.S. and NATO have ordered out over 150 Russian diplomats in a show of solidarity.

POISONED EX-SPY LIKELY LATEST VICTIM IN LONG LINE OF KREMLIN-ORDERED HITS

Russia's top diplomat on Thursday described the British accusations against Moscow over the nerve agent poisoning of an ex-spy as a mockery of international law and said Russia will push to find out the truth.

Moscow has fiercely denied its involvement in the nerve agent attack and expelled an equal number of envoys. The diplomatic turmoil has hit lows unseen even at the height of the Cold War.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted that the poisoning case was fabricated by Britain to "demonize" Russia.

"The so-called Skripal case has been used as a fictitious, orchestrated pretext for the unfounded massive expulsions of Russian diplomats not only from the U.S. and Britain but also from a number of other countries who simply had their arms twisted," Lavrov said at a conference in Moscow. "We have never seen such an open mockery of the international law, diplomatic ethics and elementary decorum."

On Wednesday, Russia called a meeting of the international chemical weapons watchdog to demand a joint investigation with Britain into the poisoning — the demand that London has rejected.

RUSSIAN SPY CHIEF ACCUSES US AND UK OF STAGING NERVE ATTACK, PREDICTS RETURN TO ‘DARK TIMES OF COLD WAR

The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) voted against the Russian proposal, but Moscow said the number of countries that abstained from the vote suggested many have doubts about Britain's accusations.

"It's unacceptable to make unfounded accusations instead of conducting a fair investigation and providing concrete facts," Lavrov said. "Yesterday's debate in The Hague showed that self-respecting adults don't believe in fairy tales."

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Wednesday that "the purpose of Russia's ludicrous proposal at The Hague was clear — to undermine the independent, impartial work of the international chemical weapons watchdog."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>The Home Office have rejected a visa application by Viktoria Skripal - cousin of Yulia, who was poisoned in the Salisbury attack.

The poisoned Russia's cousin will not be allowed to visit Britain after it was reported that she was deliberately being coached by Moscow to discredit Yulia.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We have refused a visitor visa application from Viktoria Skripal on the grounds that her application did not comply with the Immigration Rules."

It came after reports that Yulia Skripal had declined to meet Russian consular officials, amid British claims that she was poisoned with a nerve agent by an operation staged by Moscow’s secret services.

Speaking on Russian state TV before being denied entry Viktoria Skirpal said: "I currently have one objective: to fly there and take away Yulia, at least Yulia.”

She also said she was in regular contact with Russia’s ambassador to London, Alexander Yakovenko.

Yulia is facing growing abuse in her homeland.

A barrage of hostile comments - some implying she was part of an British secret services plot to damage Vladimir Putin - coincide with claims that her apparent telephone call with relative Viktoria Skripal was scripted by her official minders in Salisbury.

Yesterday the Met issued a statement on behalf of Yulia Skripal.

She said: "I woke up over a week ago now and am glad to say my strength is growing daily."

It comes as it was revealed poisoned former spy, Sergei Skripal is "responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition", according to doctors at Salisbury District Hospital.

Skripal has remained in a critical condition in hospital for a month after he, and his daughter Yulia, were attacked with a nerve agent on March 4.

While Yulia started improving last week and has since regained consciousness Sergei did not show signs of improvements.

But now doctors have said the 66-year-old is "responding well to treatment" and "is no longer in a critical condition".

Dr Christine Blanshard, medical director at Salisbury District Hospital, said: "I would like to take the opportunity to update you on the condition of the two remaining patients being treated at Salisbury District Hospital.

"Last Thursday, I informed you that Yulia Skripal's condition had improved to stable. As Yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she is well enough to leave the hospital.

"Any speculation on when that date will be is just that - speculation. In the meantime, Yulia has asked for privacy while she continues to get better - something I'd like to urge the media to respect.

"I also want to update you on the condition of her father, Sergei Skripal. He is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition.

"As you'll appreciate, I won't be giving any further updates at this time."

Upon hearing the latest condition check the Russian Embassy also took to social media to say it was "Good news".</s>LONDON - Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal is no longer in a critical condition and his health is improving rapidly more than a month after he was poisoned with a nerve agent in England, the British hospital treating him said on Friday.

Skripal, 66, a former colonel in Russian military intelligence who betrayed dozens of spies to Britain’s foreign spy service, and his daughter Yulia were found slumped unconscious on a public bench in the English city of Salisbury on 4 March.

Britain blamed Russia for the poisoning, the first known offensive use of such a nerve agent on European soil since World War Two. Moscow denied any involvement and suggested that Britain had carried out the attack to stoke anti-Russian hysteria.

“He is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition,” Christine Blanshard, Medical Director at Salisbury District Hospital, said in a statement.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said the Skripals were poisoned with Novichok, a deadly group of nerve agents developed by the Soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s.

Russia has said it does not have such nerve agents and President Vladimir Putin said it is nonsense to think that Moscow would have poisoned Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter.

A British judge said last month, nearly three weeks after the attack, that it might have left them with compromised mental capacity and that it was unclear whether they would recover.

The attack prompted the biggest Western expulsion of Russian diplomats since the height of the Cold War as allies in Europe and the United States sided with May’s view that Moscow was either responsible or had lost control of the nerve agent.

But Moscow has hit back by expelling Western diplomats, questioning how Britain knows that Russia was responsible and offering its rival interpretations, including that it amounted to a plot by British secret services.

Both Moscow and London have accused each other of trying to deceive the world with an array of claims, counter-claims and threats.

At a session of the executive of the global chemical weapons watchdog this week, Russia called for a joint inquiry into the poisoning of the Skripals, but lost a vote on the motion.

At a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday, Russia warned Britain that “you’re playing with fire and you’ll be sorry” over its accusations.

Given the twists and turns in the affair, British and Russian diplomats have variously claimed the mystery to be worthy of Sherlock Holmes or of an Agatha Christie whodunit.

In an exchange at the United Nations, the ambassadors of Britain and Russia quoted extracts from “Alice in Wonderland” at each other.

The hospital in Salisbury said it was providing the medical update in response to “intense media coverage yesterday.”

Russian state television reported that Yulia had phoned her cousin in Russia and told her that she and her father were both recovering and that she expected to leave hospital soon.

Yulia’s health has improved rapidly. On Thursday, she issued a statement through British police to thank hospital staff and people who came to her help when “when my father and I were incapacitated”.

Sergei Skripal, who was recruited by Britain’s MI6, was arrested for treason in Moscow in 2004. He ended up in Britain after being swapped in 2010 for Russian spies caught in the United States.

Since emerging from the John le Carre world of high espionage and betrayal, Skripal lived modestly in Salisbury and kept out of the spotlight until he was found poisoned.

British police believe a nerve agent was left on the front door of his home. Skripal’s cat was put down by British authorities. His guinea pigs were discovered dead.

“When a vet was able to access the property, two guinea pigs had sadly died,” a British government spokeswoman said.

“A cat was also found in a distressed state and a decision was taken by a veterinary surgeon to euthanise the animal to alleviate its suffering,” the spokeswoman said.</s>LONDON (Reuters) - Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal is no longer in critical condition and his health is improving rapidly more than a month since he was poisoned with a nerve agent, the British hospital treating him said on Friday.

Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia were found slumped unconscious on a public bench in the English city of Salisbury on March 4.

Britain said they were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent first developed by the Soviet Union. Russia has denied it had anything to do with the first known use of such a toxin on European soil since World War Two.

“He is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition,” Christine Blanshard, Medical Director at Salisbury District Hospital, said in a statement.

Blanshard said she was providing the update response to “intense media coverage yesterday.”

On Thursday, Russian state television reported Yulia had phoned her cousin and told her that she and her father were both recovering and that she expected to leave hospital soon.

Britain has said Russia is culpable for the attack, while Moscow denies any involvement. The incident has had major diplomatic ramifications, with mass expulsions of Russian and Western diplomats.</s>The conditions of an ex-Russian spy and his daughter are improving after the two were poisoned by nerve agent in England last month, according to the hospital treating them.

Sergei Skripal, 66, is responding well to treatment, said Salisbury District Hospital Medical Director Dr. Christine Blanshard. His health is "improving rapidly," and he is no longer in critical condition, Blanshard said in a statement.

His daughter, Yulia Skripal, is in stable condition.

"As Yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she is well enough to leave the hospital," Blanshard said.

It is unclear when Yulia Skripal will be able to leave the hospital.

Sergei Skripal and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury, about 90 miles southwest of London, last month.

In 2006, Moscow's military court convicted Sergei Skripal on charges of spying for Britain and sentenced him to 13 years in a labor camp, according to the BBC. He later took up residence in the United Kingdom.

The substance involved in the poisoning -- identified by a laboratory as Novichok, a military grade nerve agent -- is suspected to have been produced by Russia.

The U.K. Foreign Office later issued a statement this week saying, "It is our assessment that Russia was behind his brazen and reckless act and, as the international community agrees, there is no other plausible explanation."

Russia has denied any involvement in the poisoning.

ABC News' Amanda Maile and Julia McFarlane contributed to this report.</s>LONDON — Sergei Skripal, the Russian former double agent poisoned by nerve agent in Britain, is no longer in critical condition, a senior health official said.

Skripal is "responding well to treatment” and “improving rapidly," Christine Blanshard, Salisbury District Hospital’s medical director, said

Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unresponsive on a bench in Salisbury, a city in southern England, on March 4.

Yulia Skripal said in a statement distributed by police Thursday that she woke up over a week ago and "am glad to say my strength is growing daily."

The Russian Embassy in the United Kingdom tweeted: "Good news!" in response to a tweet by Sky News about Sergei Skripal’s improved condition.

"As Yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she is well enough to leave the hospital,” Blanshard said Friday.

"Any speculation on when that date will be is just that — speculation,” she added.

The United Kingdom has blamed Russia for the Skripals' poisoning with Novichok nerve agent. The Kremlin denies any responsibility.

More than 25 countries including Britain and the United States have expelled over 150 Russian diplomats over the incident, while Russia has retaliated by expelling foreign envoys.

Russia called a U.N. Security Council meeting Thursday over the poisonings. Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to the U.N., called Britain’s claims a "fake story."

"We have told our British colleagues that they are playing with fire and they will be sorry,” he said.

Alexander Yakovenko, Russia's ambassador to the U.K., said his country will not accept Britain's conclusions unless Russian investigators are allowed to inspect the evidence, have access to the Skripals and participate in the investigation. Russia has also asked to examine pets found in Sergei Skripal's home

The British government said two guinea pigs belonging to Sergei Skripal were found dead at his home, apparently of thirst, and his cat was put down after it was found in a "distressed" state. Authorities sealed off Skripal’s home in the aftermath of the poisoning.

A spokesperson from the Russian Embassy in London said Skripal’s niece, Viktoria, had said there were two cats and two guinea pigs living at his home.

“To better understand what happened to Sergey and Yulia Skripal, it is essential to know if the animals also suffered from chemical poisoning. We have therefore officially requested the Foreign Office to provide us with the respective information, including on whether the animals are receiving any treatment,” the spokesperson said.
Salisbury District Hospital says poisoned spy Sergei Skripal is no longer critically ill, responding well to treatment, and "improving rapidly". His daughter was previously revealed to have regained consciousness.