Moscow appeared defiant Tuesday as it faced a looming British deadline to explain the nerve-agent poisoning of a former spy, demanding London provide a sample of the substance used in the attack and open up its probe to Russian officials.

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May has said it is highly likely Russia was behind the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, and threatened retaliation in the case, marking a new low point in already strained post-Cold War relations.</s>British Prime Minister Theresa May told lawmakers on Monday that it was "highly likely" Russia was behind the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the southern city of Salisbury.

If evidence eventually proves Moscow directly ordered the poisoning, May said the government would consider the attack an "unlawful use of force" on British territory.

Read more: British diners told to wash possessions after ex-spy poisoning

What May said:

The Russian government either ordered the attack, or it had lost control of the military-grade, Russian-produced chemical nerve agent Novichok that was used in the attack.

May said Moscow had until Tuesday evening to explain its Novichok program to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The government has summoned the Russian ambassador in London to explain whether Moscow was directly responsible for the attack.

If there is "no credible response" by the end of Tuesday, the government would discuss retaliatory measures with the British Parliament.

Britain cannot have a normal relationship with Russia. "We will not tolerate such a brazen attempt to murder innocent civilians on our soil," May said, adding: "There can be no question of business as usual with Russia."

Read more: Spy assassinations — The top 5 deadly poisons

What were the reactions?

"We have full confidence in the UK's investigation and its assessment that Russia was likely responsible for the nerve agent attack that took place in Salisbury last week," said US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. "We agree that those responsible — both those who committed the crime and those who ordered it — must face appropriately serious consequences.

"It appears that it clearly came from Russia. Whether it came from Russia with the Russian government's knowledge is not known to me at this point," Tillerson added.

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry, dismissed May's speech as a "provocation," according to Russian news agencies. She added: "It is a circus show in the British parliament."

The Foreign Ministry also said in a statement that British media and politicians were using the poison attack to discredit Moscow ahead of the 2018 soccer world cup in Russia. The British, it said, "cannot forgive Russia for obtaining the right to host the 2018 World Cup in an honest competition."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the use of military-grade nerve agent was "horrendous and completely unacceptable." He added: "This incident is of great concern to NATO."

Read more: UK promises retaliation for 'brazen' chemical attack on Russian ex-spy

The attack: Sixty-six year old Sergei Skripal was found with his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia, slumped on a bench in the southern English town of Salisbury on March 4. The unconscious pair was rushed to hospital where they remain in critical but stable condition. The nerve agent used to poison the pair also affected a policeman who found them. The officer is conscious but also remains in critical condition.

Who is Sergei Skripal? Skripal was a colonel in Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU, before he was found guilty of betraying Russian agents to MI6, Britain's foreign intelligence service. In 2010, he arrived in Britain as part of a spy swap deal between London and Moscow.

A history of political poisonings Sergei Skripal Sergei Skripal, a 66-year-old former Russian spy, was found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping center in the British city of Salisbury after he was exposed to what police said was an unknown substance. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the situation "tragic" but said, "We don't have information about what could be the cause, what this person did."

A history of political poisonings Kim Jong Nam The estranged half-brother of Kim Jong Un was killed on February 13, 2018 at Kuala Lumpur airport after two women allegedly smeared the chemical nerve agent VX on his face. In February, a Malaysian court heard that Kim Jong Nam had been carrying a dozen vials of antidote for the deadly nerve agent VX in his backpack at the time of the poisoning.

A history of political poisonings Alexander Litvinenko Former Russian spy Litvinenko had worked for the Federal Security Service (FSB) before he defected to Britain, where he became a journalist and wrote two books of accusations against the FSB and Putin. He became ill after meeting with two former KGB officers and died on November 23, 2006. A government inquiry found he was killed by radioactive polonium-210 which it alleged the men put in his tea.

A history of political poisonings Viktor Kalashnikov In November 2010, doctors at Berlin's Charité hospital discovered high levels of mercury had been found in a Russian dissident couple working in Berlin. Kalashnikov, a freelance journalist and former KGB colonel, had 3.7 micrograms of mercury per litre of blood, while his wife had 56 micrograms. A safe level is 1-3 micrograms. Viktor reportedly told German magazine Focus that "Moscow poisoned us."

A history of political poisonings Viktor Yushchenko Ukrainian opposition leader Yushchenko became sick in September 2004 and was diagnosed with acute pancreatis caused by a viral infection and chemical substances. The illness resulted in facial disfigurement, with pockmarks, bloating and jaundice. Doctors said the changes to his face were from chloracne, which is a result of dioxin poisoning. Yushchenko claimed government agents poisoned him.

A history of political poisonings Khaled Meshaal On September 25, 1997, Israel's intelligence agency attempted to assassinate Hamas leader Meshaal, under orders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Two agents sprayed a poisonous substance into Meshaal's ear as he walked into the Hamas offices in Amman, Jordan. The assassination attempt was unsuccessful and not long afterward the two Israeli agents were captured.

A history of political poisonings Georgi Markov In 1978, Bulgarian dissident Markov was waiting at a bus stop after a shift at the BBC when he felt a sharp jab in his thigh. He turned to see a man picking up an umbrella. A small bump appeared where he felt the jab and four days later he died. An autopsy found he'd been killed by a small pellet containing a 0.2-milligram dose of ricin. Many believe the poisoned dart was fired from the umbrella.

A history of political poisonings Grigori Rasputin On December 30, 1916, mystic and spiritual healer Rasputin arrived at Yusupov Palace in St Petersburg at the invitation Prince Felix Yusupov. There, Prince Yusupov offered Rasputin cakes laced with potassium cyanide but he just kept eating them. Yusupov then gave him wine in a cyanide-laced wine glasses, but still Rasputin continued to drink. With the poison failing, Rasputin was shot and killed. Author: Louisa Wright



Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>On a visit to Russia's National Grain Centre, BBC’s Moscow Correspondent Steve Rosenburg asked Vladimir Putin: "Is Russia behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal?" Mr Putin responded: “Look, we’re busy here with agriculture. As you can see, the aim is to create a good conditions for people’s lives. “And you ask me about some tragedies. Get to the bottom of things there, first. Then we’ll talk about this.” Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday that the Government has concluded it is “highly likely” Russia was responsible for the use of a nerve agent on former double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Mrs May triggered World War 3 fears and demanded Russia has until midnight on Tuesday to explain the use of a Russian agent. The Russian Embassy in the UK stated that the policy of the UK Government towards Moscow “is a very dangerous game”. In a statement, the Embassy said: “Current policy of the UK Government towards Russia is a very dangerous game played with the British public opinion, which not only sends the investigation upon an unhelpful political track but also bears the risk of more serious long-term consequences for our relations.” The Embassy hit out at the UK for its “unfounded accusations” and branded the events as a “source of concern”.

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov also said Moscow had not been granted access to samples of the nerve agent used to poison Mr Skripal and his daughter. Mr Skripal and his daughter collapsed at a shopping centre in Salisbury and were rushed to hospital after being poisoned by a nerve agent. Mr Skripal, 66, was a retired Russian military intelligence colonel who was accused of spying for the UK since the 1990s and sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2006.

The double agent was arrested and jailed for 13 years in 2006 after he admitted selling names, addresses and code-names of Russian agents to MI6. But he was later pardoned for treason in Moscow and given refuge in the UK as part of a high-profile swap for Russian spies in 2010.</s>LONDON — Prime Minister Theresa May has given the Russian government until midnight on Tuesday to provide a "credible" explanation for the poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, after which she will "set out the full range of measures" Britain will take in retaliation.

So what are the options open to May? Here are all the possible responses the UK could take and how likely they are to take them.

Britain last expelled Russian diplomats back in 2012 following "evidence of activities by the Russian intelligence services against UK interests." Such expulsions are relatively common in international diplomacy and are normally the first port of call in any major diplomatic incident.

How likely is this?

It is highly likely that at least some Russian diplomats will be kicked out by Britain. However, Britain will want to retain some diplomatic ties with Russia on UK soil.

There was some excitement last week when Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson appeared to suggest that the England football team would withdraw from the upcoming World Cup in Russia. However, Johnson's aides quickly scrambled to clarify that he had only been referring to UK officials and diplomats withdrawing from the tournament, rather than the team itself.

How likely is this?

It is now fairly likely that Britain will withdraw its formal representation from the World Cup in protest over the Salisbury attack. However, it is questionable how seriously the Russian government will take Johnson and Prince William failing to turn up to the games.

May was asked repeatedly in the Commons yesterday about the continued presence of the Russian state television channel Russia Today, in the UK. While criticising those politicians, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who have appeared on the channel, she did not explicitly state that their license would be withdrawn.

How likely is this?

Any decision about the licensing of RT will be taken by the independent communications regulator Ofcom, rather than May's government. However, Ofcom has already indicated that they may withdraw RT's license. In a statement released last night, a spokesperson said that:

"Ofcom has an ongoing duty to be satisfied that all broadcast licensees are fit and proper to hold a licence.

"We have heard the Prime Minister's statement in the House of Commons this afternoon and we await her further statement on Wednesday. We will then consider the implications for RT's broadcast licenses."

It is, therefore, looking increasingly likely that RT could lose their license.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has previously raised the possibility of Britain taking retaliatory cyberattacks against Russia, following their attempts to meddle in Western elections. This could take the form of denial of service attacks against Russian state websites, or websites used to spread Russian government propaganda. This would be a relatively easy step for the UK to take but would mark a significant ramping up of tensions with the Russian government which could spiral into a highly damaging and costly cyberwar between the two countries.

How likely is this?

The risks associated with such attacks may prevent any immediate UK cyber-attack on Russia and so is not highly likely at this time. However, the UK government is keen to raise the threat of such attacks and this is likely to remain a tool in Britain's arsenal which they would be willing to openly use for the first time against another state.

May was under pressure yesterday to consider a UK version of the US Magnitsky Act, which would allow the UK to freeze the assets of Russian oligarchs in the UK. In recent years, London has become one of the world's most popular homes for wealthy Russians, many of whom have huge business interests in the UK. As Labour leader Corbyn pointed out in the Commons yesterday, wealthy Russians have also become major funders of May's Conservative party. The government, therefore, has so far been resistance to mimicking the US in clamping down on Russian money in the UK.

How likely is this?

The Conservative government has so far resisted all requests to tackle Russian money in the UK. That could change after the attack in Salisbury. However, there has been little sign since the attack that this is one of the priorities for May.

There are very limited options available for the UK to take against what is the second largest nuclear-armed state in the world. So, if there is going to be a serious response to this attack, then it will have to be taken on a European or Nato level. In a call last night, French President Macron "offered his solidarity with the UK" according to Downing Street and the two leaders "agreed that the French and British governments should coordinate closely as the investigation developed and following Russia’s response." Nato also released a statement last night saying that "the use of any nerve agent is horrendous and completely unacceptable. The UK is a highly valued ally, and this incident is of great concern to NATO."

How likely is this?

It is possible that Nato could ramp up its presence in the East in retaliation against Russian aggression. However, it is reasonable to doubt how willing the international community will be to actually take such decisive action against Russia off the back of this one incident. As a senior security analyst for Stratfor's Threat Lens, Ben West, told Business Insider, while there may be sanctions imposed against Russian officials it remains "highly unlikely" that the alliance will go beyond this.</s>Washington: US President Donald Trump today said he believes British Prime Minister Theresa May’s theory that Russia was likely responsible for a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in the UK.

Trump told reporters that he believes that there should be some response to this as soon as they have all the facts.

“Yeah (there should be a response), as soon as we get the facts straight. And we’re going to be speaking with the British today. We’re speaking with Theresa May today. And as soon as we get the facts straight, if we agree with them, we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be,” Trump said in response to a question.

“It sounds to me like it would be Russia based on all of the evidence they have. I don’t know if they’ve come to a conclusion but she’s calling me today,” said the US President.

“It sounds to me like they believe it was Russia and I would certainly take that finding as fact,” Trump said.

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found collapsed after being poisoned last week. Both remain in a serious condition along with a police officer who came in contact with the same substance.

Speaking before the House of Commons, May yesterday said it was “highly likely” that Russia was behind the nerve agent attack on Skripal who was once an informant for Britain’s foreign intelligence service.

“We are standing with our UK ally,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters.

Sanders said the United States has been monitoring the incident closely and takes it very seriously.

“The use of a highly lethal nerve agent against UK citizens on UK soil is an outrage,” she said.

“The attack was reckless, indiscriminate, and irresponsible. We offer the fullest condemnation, and we extend our sympathy to the victims and their families, and our support to the UK government. We stand by our closest ally and the special relationship that we have,” Sanders said</s>U.S. President Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May during the U.N. General Assembly in New York, U.S., September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
• President Donald Trump is with the UK "all the way" over the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal, according to a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Theresa May.
• The US president has been hesitant to blame Russia for the attack even as the UK government said it was "highly likely" the country was behind it.

President Donald Trump has told British Prime Minister Theresa May that the US is with the UK "all the way" over the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and that Russia must provide "unambiguous answers" over the use of nerve agent in the attack, according to a Number 10 spokesperson.

The UK prime minister spoke to the US president on Tuesday about the incident, which has left Skripal and his daughter Yulia critically ill and sent relations between the UK and Russia plummeting.

While May has said it is "highly likely" that the Russian government is behind the nerve gas attack, the White House has been more reticent about attribution. In a press briefing on Monday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to say whether the US endorsed the UK's view that Russia is responsible or to condemn Russia by name.

"As soon as we get the facts straight, if we agree with them, we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be," Trump said earlier on Tuesday.

A May spokesperson described Tuesday's call in a statement.

"The Prime Minister set out the conclusion reached by the UK Government that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack against Sergei and Yulia Skripal," according to the statement.

"President Trump said the US was with the UK all the way, agreeing that the Russian Government must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used."

The White House echoed this in a statement Tuesday, noting, "President Trump agreed with Prime Minister May that the Government of the Russian Federation must provide unambiguous answers regarding how this chemical weapon, developed in Russia, came to be used in the United Kingdom."

Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack.

May has set a deadline of midnight UK time on Tuesday for Russia to explain how Novichok nerve agent — a family of poisons developed by Russia during the Cold War — came to be used on Sergei Skripal. Russia says it will not respond to the "ultimatum" unless it is provided with samples of the nerve gas.</s>
• President Donald Trump is with the UK "all the way" over the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal, according to a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Theresa May.
• The US president has been hesitant to blame Russia for the attack even as the UK government said it was "highly likely" the country was behind it.



President Donald Trump has told British Prime Minister Theresa May that the US is with the UK "all the way" over the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and that Russia must provide "unambiguous answers" over the use of nerve agent in the attack, according to a Number 10 spokesperson.

The UK prime minister spoke to the US president on Tuesday about the incident, which has left Skripal and his daughter Yulia critically ill and sent relations between the UK and Russia plummeting.

While May has said it is "highly likely" that the Russian government is behind the nerve gas attack, the White House has been more reticent about attribution. In a press briefing on Monday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to say whether the US endorsed the UK's view that Russia is responsible or to condemn Russia by name.

"As soon as we get the facts straight, if we agree with them, we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be," Trump said earlier on Tuesday.

A May spokesperson described Tuesday's call in a statement.

"The Prime Minister set out the conclusion reached by the UK Government that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack against Sergei and Yulia Skripal," according to the statement.

"President Trump said the US was with the UK all the way, agreeing that the Russian Government must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used."

The White House echoed this in a statement Tuesday, noting, "President Trump agreed with Prime Minister May that the Government of the Russian Federation must provide unambiguous answers regarding how this chemical weapon, developed in Russia, came to be used in the United Kingdom."

Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack.

May has set a deadline of midnight UK time on Tuesday for Russia to explain how Novichok nerve agent — a family of poisons developed by Russia during the Cold War — came to be used on Sergei Skripal. Russia says it will not respond to the "ultimatum" unless it is provided with samples of the nerve gas.</s>Russia must give a reason for the nerve agent it developed in the 1970s being used on British soil - or face action, the Prime Minister has warned.

Theresa May addressed the House of Commons about the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury on Sunday 4 March.

Mrs May confirmed the pair had been hit with Novichok, which refers to a string of chemical weapons developed in Russia from the 1970s onwards, and said it was "highly likely" Russia was involved.

:: Novichok nerve agent: What exactly is it?

She said: "Based on the positive identification of this chemical agent by world-leading experts at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down; our knowledge that Russia has previously produced this agent and would still be capable of doing so; Russia's record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations; and our assessment that Russia views some defectors as legitimate targets for assassinations; the Government has concluded that it is highly likely that Russia was responsible for the act against Sergei and Yulia Skripal."

Mrs May said the substance must either have been used in a state attack, or have got into the hands of an individual, in which case Russia had "lost control" of the agent.

:: Poisoned spy's friend: He was lonely after his son and wife died

She added: "The Foreign Secretary has summoned the Russian Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and asked him to explain which of these two possibilities it is - and therefore to account for how this Russian-produced nerve agent could have been deployed in Salisbury against Mr Skripal and his daughter.

"My Right Honourable Friend has stated to the Ambassador that the Russian Federation must immediately provide full and complete disclosure of the Novichok programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

"And he has requested the Russian Government's response by the end of tomorrow."

:: Spy poisoning: Diners told to wash possessions but health bosses insist risk 'very low'

The response by Russia will be considered on Wednesday, when Mrs May will give a statement on the range of options available.

Before Mrs May had left the chamber, the Russian Foreign Ministry had called her speech a "circus show" and said it was a provocation.

Since the Commons address, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has confirmed she will chair a Cobra meeting at 11.30am on Tuesday, following a Cabinet meeting.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn came under fire from his own benches after his response to Mrs May's address.

His Labour colleague Mike Gapes notably declared "all MPs must stand together", as he branded the poisoning "an act of terrorism".

In Salisbury, a Sainsbury's car park close to the bench where the pair were found collapsed on 4 March was cordoned off, with reports from shoppers that a car was to be removed.

Boards were erected to prevent the public seeing into the area.

Six miles away, in Winterslow, a vehicle recovery van was removed by police. It is believed to be one used to remove Mr Skripal's BMW a number of days ago.

:: What can Theresa May do about Russia?

Six miles away, in Winterslow, a vehicle recovery van was removed by police. It is believed to be one used to remove Mr Skripal's BMW a number of days ago.

Tensions are high in Salisbury, where many feel they are not being given enough information quickly enough to understand what is going on. Officials have said there is low concern for public health.

Alexey Navalny, leader of the opposition in Russia, who is banned from standing against Vladimir Putin, tweeted: "What British sanctions in response to the (attempted) murder of Skripalja (if Russia's involvement is proved) would be very effective and supported by public opinion within Russia?

"The answer consists of three surnames: Abramovich, Usmanov, Shuvalov."

The White House responded by calling the attack an "outrage", while Downing Street revealed Mrs May had spoken to Emmanuel Macron on Monday night, and he condemned the attack.</s>Many Russians believe a Western provocation was behind the nerve-agent poisoning of a former Russian spy in the UK, analysts say, as conspiracy theories about the attempted assassination flourish in the country.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's allegation that the Russian government's involvement was "highly likely" in the attempt to kill Sergei Skripal, 66, with the Novichok nerve agent on March 4 caused outrage in Russia, Dmitri Babich, a political analyst based in Moscow, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

"[The Russian public] simply does not believe that President [Vladimir] Putin or anyone in the Russian intelligence would order such a murky way of getting rid of this person - poisoning him in a public place with a highly dangerous substance," said Babich.

Skripal's poisoning was widely seen in Russia as a secret plan carried out by the British or American intelligence services in order to make Moscow look bad, he said.

Skripal and his daughter Yulia, 33, were discovered unconscious on a bench outside a shopping centre in Salisbury, in southern England.

Both are fighting for their lives in critical condition in a hospital.

According to the Tass news agency, the speaker of Russia's parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, put the responsibility for the attack on the UK.

"The British Prime Minister Theresa May is very clumsy in trying to cast the suspicions away from the British side ... All the responsibility for the situation that involves our nationals who have left our country is on Britain," Volodin told reporters on Tuesday.

Sergei Markov, director of the Moscow-based Institute of Political Studies, was more direct and accused May of using the scandal to deflect public attention from the internal problems her government is facing, including Brexit.

"Theresa May has a lot of problems because of the failure in the parliamentary elections, Brexit, and the complicated situation with the border between Ireland and the Northern Ireland," Markov told Al Jazeera.

"So the British intelligence service probably organised the killing of Mr Skripal, sacrificing the guy who they don't need any more."

The British claim that the Novichok nerve agent was only accessible to the Russian government was untrue, he added.

"Novichok had been produced in Uzbekistan in the Soviet times and after the fall of the Soviet Union, as we know, the American intelligence services had access to this factory," Markov said.

"The American and British intelligence services have a very strong cooperation with each other, and I am sure 100 percent that the British got this Novichok nerve agent from them for this provocation."

He alleged Washington and London were working together to check Russia's global power.

Skripal was a colonel in Russian military intelligence when, in 1995, he sold information to the UK. He left the Russian service in 2000, but was arrested and sentenced in 2006 to 13 years in prison for espionage.

In 2010, Skripal was pardoned and allowed to move to London after the British and Russian governments exchanged captured spies.

On Monday, May said Skripal's poisoning was either "a direct act by the Russian state against our country, or the Russian government lost control of its potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others".

London gave Moscow until the end of Tuesday to explain the attack, and said it would deliver a new statement on Wednesday.

Russia responded on Tuesday saying it would answer only if the UK gave Moscow access to the investigation material.</s>LONDON — Britain’s government is considering how to deal with the poisoning of an ex-spy as it awaits a Russian government response to its claim that Russian was involved.

Officials said Tuesday Prime Minister Theresa May is reviewing a range of economic and diplomatic measures.

May has said it is “highly likely” Russia was involved in the nerve agent poisoning of 66-year-old Sergei Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia. Both remain in critical condition.

The prime minister says Russia has until the end of Tuesday to explain its actions in the case, which focuses on a former Russian military intelligence officer who was convicted of spying for Britain and then released in a spy swap.

Former foreign minister David Miliband has urged May to seek support from Europe and the United States.
British Prime Minister Theresa May says she believes it is "highly likely" that the Russian government was behind an attempt to murder Sergei Skripal and his daughter using a Novichok agent.