Experts in hazmat suits next to a tent covering a bench in The Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury

A UK bid to seek the extradition of two Russians over the novichok attacks is not as advanced as reports claim, Sky News understands.

The Guardian newspaper earlier said the government will make the bid to Moscow.

Sky sources have confirmed the central premise of the story is correct - but say proceedings are not as advanced as the reports suggest.

Russia's embassy in London says they have not yet received any extradition requests over allegations any of its citizens were involved in the novichok poisonings.

Last month, reports emerged suggesting police had two names it had linked with the attacks - but these were dismissed as "speculation".

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Now, Russia has called reports of extradition requests "bogus".

Image: Sergei and Yulia Skripal were attacked with novichok and found slumped on a bench in Salisbury in March

Former double agent Sergei Skirpal and his daughter Yulia were in intensive care for several weeks after being poisoned with the chemical substance at his home in Salisbury in March.

They were found in a serious condition on a bench in The Maltings shopping centre, and the discovery of the substance sparked a city-wide investigation with police having to cordon off large areas, including where they had eaten dinner that evening.

:: How Sergei and Yulia Skripal survived the novichok attack

Three months later, Dawn Sturgess and her partner Charlie Rowley fell ill after they came into contact with the substance, which was found in a sealed perfume bottle.

Image: Dawn Sturgess died of novichok poisoning last month

They came across the substance in Amesbury, about eight miles away from Salisbury.

Ms Sturgess died after being exposed to 10 times the amount of nerve agent the Skripals came into contact with. She had been in hospital for eight days. Mr Rowley survived.

:: 'Very emotional' funeral held for novichok victim Dawn Sturgess

Charlie Rowley: 'I just can't process what happened'

Reports about police having names for suspects were dismissed by security minister Ben Wallace as "wild speculation".

Public Health England has said the risk to the public remains low, but has advised people not to pick up any unknown items such as syringes, needles, cosmetics, or similar objects made of materials such as metal, plastic or glass.

"The advice remains, 'if you didn't drop it, then don't pick it up'," it said.

The government has continued to make clear it believes the Russian state was behind the attack on the Skripals.

Image: Police officers search Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Salisbury

Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian politicians have continued to deny any involvement in the poisonings.

The row has led to tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions between the UK, its allies and Russia.</s>Image copyright AFP Image caption Parts of the city of Salisbury were sealed off after the nerve agent attack

The US has said it will impose fresh sanctions on Russia after determining it used nerve agent against a former Russian double agent living in the UK.

Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were left seriously ill after being poisoned with Novichok in Salisbury in March, though they have now recovered.

A UK investigation blamed Russia for the attack, but the Kremlin has strongly denied any involvement.

Russia has criticised the new sanctions as "draconian".

In a statement released on Wednesday, the US State Department confirmed it was implementing measures against Russia over the incident.

Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said it had been determined that the country "has used chemical or biological weapons in violation of international law, or has used lethal chemical or biological weapons against its own nationals".

The British government has welcomed the move.

"The strong international response to the use of a chemical weapon on the streets of Salisbury sends an unequivocal message to Russia that its provocative, reckless behaviour will not go unchallenged," a UK Foreign Office statement said.

The Russian embassy in the US hit back on Thursday morning, criticising what it called "far-fetched accusations" from the US that Russia was behind the attack.

Russia had become "accustomed to not hearing any facts or evidence", it said, adding: "We continue to strongly stand for an open and transparent investigation of the crime committed in Salisbury."

What are the sanctions?

The new sanctions will take effect on or around 22 August, and relate to the exports of sensitive electronic components and other technologies.

The State Department said "more draconian" sanctions will follow within 90 days if Russia fails to give reliable assurances it will no longer use chemical weapons and allow on-site inspections by the United Nations.

Image copyright Rex Features Image caption Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious on a bench in the city of Salisbury

An official said it was only the third time that the US had determined a country had used chemical or biological weapons against its own nationals.

Previous occasions were against Syria and against North Korea for the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of leader Kim Jong-un, who died when highly toxic VX nerve agent was rubbed on his face at Kuala Lumpur airport.

Are these the only US sanctions against Russia?

No. In June the US imposed sanctions on five Russian companies and three Russian individuals in response to alleged Russian cyber-attacks on the US.

All are prohibited from any transactions involving the US financial system.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the measures were to counter "malicious actors" working to "increase Russia's offensive cyber-capabilities".

Russia likely to resist

Analysis by Gary O'Donoghue, BBC News, Washington

After pressure from Republican members of Congress, the State Department has determined Moscow broke international law by using a military grade chemical weapon on the Skripals.

While the US expelled some five dozen diplomats shortly after the poisoning, the administration stopped short of making a formal determination that Russia had broken international law.

But Congress has been pushing for such a decision and now the state department has confirmed Russia's actions contravened 1991 US legislation on the use of chemical weapons. That breach automatically triggers the imposition of sanctions and places requirements on Russia to avert further restrictions in three months' time.

Those requirements could include opening up sites in Russia for inspection - a move Moscow would probably resist.

So far President Donald Trump has been silent on this latest move - which could well derail his attempts to develop a new, warmer relationship with Vladimir Putin.

What was the nerve agent?

Following the incident, the British government said the military-grade nerve agent Novichok, of a type developed by Russia, had been used in the attack.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Laura Foster explains how the Novichok nerve agent works

Relations between Russia and the West hit a new low. More than 20 countries expelled Russian envoys in solidarity with the UK, including the US. Washington ordered 60 diplomats to leave and closed the Russian consulate general in Seattle.

Three months after the Salisbury attack, two other people fell ill at a house in Amesbury, about eight miles from the city. Dawn Sturgess later died while her partner, Charlie Rowley, spent three weeks recovering in hospital.

After tests, scientists at the UK's military research lab, Porton Down, found the couple had also been exposed to Novichok.

Mr Rowley told ITV News he had earlier found a sealed bottle of perfume and given it to Ms Sturgess, who sprayed the substance on her wrists.</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington said on Wednesday it would impose fresh sanctions on Russia by the end of August after it determined that Moscow had used a nerve agent against a former Russian agent and his daughter in Britain.

A senior State Department official said it had notified the Kremlin of the sanctions earlier in the day.

Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russia’s GRU military intelligence service, and his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia, were found slumped unconscious on a bench in the southern English city of Salisbury in March after a liquid form of the Novichok type of nerve agent was applied to his home’s front door.

European countries and the United States expelled 100 Russian diplomats after the attack, in the strongest action by President Donald Trump against Russia since he came to office.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said it had been determined that Russia “has used chemical or biological weapons in violation of international law, or has used lethal chemical or biological weapons against its own nationals.”

The sanctions would cover sensitive national-security controlled goods, a senior State Department official told reporters on a conference call, citing the 1991 Chemical and Biological Weapons and Warfare Elimination Act.

There would, however, be exemptions for space flight activities, government space cooperation, and areas covering commercial passenger aviation safety, which would be reviewed on a case by case basis, the official added.

“It is possible that trade affected could potentially reach hundreds of millions of dollars,” the official added. “It’s up to Russia how dramatic the impact is.”

The official said a second batch of “more draconian” sanctions would be imposed after 90 days unless Russia gives “reliable assurances” that it will no longer use chemical weapons and allow on-site inspections by the United Nations or other international observer groups.

“If those criteria are not met - it is up to Russia to make that decision - a second round of sanctions ...will to be imposed,” the official said, “They are in general more draconian than the first round.”

A British government spokesman welcomed Washington’s announcement, saying: “The strong international response to the use of a chemical weapon on the streets of Salisbury sends an unequivocal message to Russia that its provocative, reckless behaviour will not go unchallenged.”

The news came as Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul said on Wednesday he had delivered a letter from President Donald Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin proposing cooperation.</s>The prime minister has welcomed new sanctions the US has imposed on Russia over its use of a nerve agent in Salisbury.

The State Department said the sanctions will be imposed on Russia because it used a chemical weapon in violation of international law.

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by novichok, a military-grade nerve agent, in Salisbury in March.

Police think the novichok was sprayed or smeared on their front doorknob with a perfume bottle.

They believe the bottle was then dropped somewhere in the city, where Charlie Rowley picked it up and gave it to his partner Dawn Sturgess, who died after apparently spritzing it on her wrist.

Britain has accused Russia of being behind the attack, which the Kremlin vehemently denies.

Following a 15-day congressional notification period, the sanctions will take effect on or around August 22, according to a statement from the State Department.

Responding to new US sanctions on Russia, a Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The UK welcomes this further action by our US allies.

‘The strong international response to the use of a chemical weapon on the streets of Salisbury sends an unequivocal message to Russia that its provocative, reckless behaviour will not go unchallenged.’

MORE: Theresa May’s spectacularly low curtsy leaves the internet in awe

MORE: Civil servants take on the government over new ‘pay cap’</s>The United States said today it was imposing new sanctions on Russia, as it accused the government in Moscow of using a “lethal” nerve agent in an attempted assassination in Britain. The State Department said the sanctions were in response to “the use of a ‘Novichok’ nerve agent in an attempt to assassinate UK citizen Sergei Skripal” — a former Russian double agent — and his daughter Yulia in March. “The government of the Russian Federation has used chemical or biological weapons in violation of international law,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. The new sanctions, details of which were not released, were to take effect following a 15-day Congressional notification period, she said.</s>The United States will impose sanctions on Russia for its use of a nerve agent in an attempt to kill a former Russian spy and his daughter in the UK.

The State Department said the sanctions will be imposed on Russia because it used a chemical weapon in violation of international law.

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent, in Salisbury in March.

Britain has accused Russia of being behind the attack, which the Kremlin vehemently denies.

Since the March attack, two other British nationals with no ties to Russia have been poisoned by the substance.

Following a 15-day congressional notification period, the sanctions will take effect on or around August 22, according to a statement from the State Department.</s>The Kremlin on Thursday slammed as "unacceptable" US sanctions over Moscow's alleged involvement in a nerve agent attack in Britain, but said Russia still hopes for constructive relations with Washington.

"We consider categorically unacceptable the linking of new restrictions, which we as before consider illegal, to the case in Salisbury," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, referring to the nerve agent attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal.

He added that "Moscow retains hopes of building constructive relations with Washington."

Russian markets tumbled after Washington announced the sanctions late on Wednesday, with the ruble falling to its lowest value in almost two years.

The US State Department called them a response to "the use of a 'Novichok' nerve agent in an attempt to assassinate UK citizen Sergei Skripal" -- who was a double agent -- and his daughter Yulia in March.

The action is aimed at punishing President Vladimir Putin's government for having "used chemical or biological weapons in violation of international law," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

The Skripals survived the attack but a British couple was poisoned by the same Novichok agent in a nearby town, one of whom, 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess, subsequently died.

Moscow has angrily rejected any involvement, plunging diplomatic relations with London into a crisis.

The UK on Thursday welcomed the measures, that come less than a month after US President Donald Trump met Putin at a historic summit in Helsinki.

The Russian economy is still reeling from the 2014 international sanctions imposed on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine and a crash in oil prices the same year.

While Russia returned to growth in 2017 after two years of recession, it pales in comparison with growth figures seen during Putin's first two terms in office from 2000 to 2008 thanks to soaring oil prices.</s>U.S. To Impose New Sanctions On Russia For Nerve Agent Attacks

Updated at 4 a.m. ET

Bowing to congressional pressure, the Trump administration has announced new sanctions to punish Russia for a nerve agent attack in the U.K. on former spy Sergei Skripal.

In a brief statement, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said the U.S. had determined this week that Russia used the nerve agent Novichok to poison Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March "in violation of international law" – a move that triggers sanctions under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991.

The law requires the president to terminate arms sales, deny U.S. credit and prohibit the export of sensitive technology to any country using chemical or biological weapons.

The Associated Press, citing an unnamed State Department official, says sanctions "include the presumed denial of export licenses for Russia to purchase many items with national security implications."

However, the department says it will exempt aid to civil society and humanitarian groups and allow exports needed for continued U.S.-Russia cooperation in space.

Nauert said the sanctions would begin on Aug. 22. They are expected to affect several hundred million dollars in bilateral trade.

Russia, which has repeatedly denied being involved in the attacks, responded Thursday by calling the new U.S. sanctions "draconian" and rebuffed again the "far-fetched accusations" that it had used Novichok against the Skripals.

Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky said that Moscow could retaliate by restricting exports of RD-180 rocket engines to the U.S. The super-efficient RD-180s, originally designed for the Soviet Energia heavy-lift launch vehicle, are currently used in the first stage of the U.S. Atlas V rocket, manufactured by United Launch Alliance, a consortium of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

Russia made a similar threat to cut off the rocket engines after the Obama administration imposed sanctions in the aftermath of Moscow's annexation of Crimea.

Wednesday's announcement from Washington comes less than a month after a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki that has sparked concern among both Democrats and Republicans over the president's reluctance to hold the Kremlin to account for interfering in U.S. elections.

It also follows a letter addressed to the president late last month by the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., insisting that Russia be punished under the act. Royce and other lawmakers have accused the administration of dragging its feet on making Wednesday's determination.

Speaking after the State Department announcement, Royce said the administration was "rightly acting to uphold international bans on the use of chemical weapons."

"The mandatory sanctions that follow this determination are key to increasing pressure on Russia," Royce said. "Vladimir Putin must know that we will not tolerate his deadly acts, or his ongoing attacks on our democratic process."

Skripal was a double agent, working for years with Russian intelligence while secretly passing information to British authorities. He was convicted of espionage in Russia but released in a 2010 prisoner exchange and has lived in the U.K. since then.

In early March, he and Yulia, who was visiting from Russia, were found comatose on a bench in Salisbury, Wiltshire, in southern England. British authorities later determined they had been poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent developed in Russia during the Cold War.

After extensive medical treatment, both have been released from the hospital.

Last month, a British couple – Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley – came in contact with Novichok in the same general area where the Skripals were poisoned. Sturgess later died. Authorities believe that the couple was exposed to Novichok that had been discarded following the March attack.</s>The United States will impose sanctions on Russia after determining that it used a nerve agent in an attempt to kill a former Russian spy and his daughter in the UK. The State Department said the sanctions will be imposed on Russia because it used a chemical weapon in violation of international law. These sanctions could reinforce President Donald Trump's claim that despite investigations into Russian election meddling and accusations of collusion, his administration has in fact clamped down on Moscow.

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent, in Salisbury in March. Britain has accused Russia of being behind the attack, which the Kremlin vehemently denies.

Since the March attack, two other British nationals with no ties to Russia have been poisoned by the substance. Dawn Sturgess, 44, and partner Charlie Rowley, 45, both came into contact with the substance which left them hospitalised at the end of June in Amesbury, Wiltshire. Ms Sturgess died eight days after being poisoned with Novichok, but Mr Rowley survived the ordeal. Mr Rowley said the nerve agent took just 15 minutes to poison Ms Sturgess after she sprayed the “oily” substance onto her wrists, believing it was perfume he had given her as a gift. Following a 15-day congressional notification period, the sanctions will take effect on or around August 22, according to a statement from the State Department.</s>The United States said Wednesday it was imposing new sanctions on Russia over Moscow's involvement in the use of a "lethal" nerve agent in the attempted killing of a former spy in Britain.

The State Department said the sanctions were in response to "the use of a 'Novichok' nerve agent in an attempt to assassinate UK citizen Sergei Skripal" — who was a double agent — and his daughter Yulia in March.

The action is aimed at punishing President Vladimir Putin's government for having "used chemical or biological weapons in violation of international law," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

The new sanctions were to take effect following a 15-day Congressional notification period, she said.

Another senior State Department official told reporters that the administration decided to impose a "presumption of denial" for the sale to Russia of "national security sensitive" US technologies that require federal government approval.

Such technologies have often been used in items including electronic devices as well as calibration equipment. The exports were previously allowed on a case-by-case basis.

The move could cut off hundreds of millions of dollars worth of exports to Russia, said the official, who requested anonymity in order to speak about the sanctions.

House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce, who had pushed months ago for Trump to take action over Russia's use of banned weapons, applauded the move as "key to increasing pressure on Russia."

"Vladimir Putin must know that we will not tolerate his deadly acts, or his ongoing attacks on our democratic process," Royce said.

Sanctions waivers are in place for certain key sectors, including space flight activities and commercial aviation safety, the official said.

The action follows the US Treasury's imposition of sanctions in March against 19 Russian citizens and five entities for interfering in the 2016 US election — the toughest steps against Moscow since President Donald Trump took office.

Also in March, Washington ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats, and the closure of Russia's consulate general in Seattle.

Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury, England, on March 4, having been poisoned by Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

They were critically ill, but survived after spending weeks in the hospital.

Russia has strongly denied playing a role in the attack.

On June 30, a British couple were poisoned by Novichok in a nearby town — 44-year-old mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess subsequently died.

London and its allies have accused Moscow of trying to kill the Skripals and says the two cases are likely linked.

The new announcement could bolster Trump's claim that his administration is taking a tough stance on Moscow, even as he denounces special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe as a "witch hunt" that ought to be halted immediately.

Trump caught flak from Democrats and Republicans alike for what many saw as his unsettling embrace of Putin last month at their Helsinki summit when Trump appeared to disavow his own intelligence agencies' assessment on Moscow's election interference.

The new US sanctions come amid increasing frustration with Trump's handling of Russia, and how he apparently needed congressional prodding to impose the new penalties.

The sanctions are mandated under the Chemical and Biological Weapons and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991, which says the US president shall tighten the penalties within 90 days unless Moscow provides "reliable assurances" that it no longer engages in such activities, and allows on-site inspections by United Nations observers.

The second round of sanctions could cut far deeper, including blocking all American bank loans to Russian entities, an outright ban on US exports to Russia, and suspension of diplomatic relations.

The announcement in Washington was likely to intensify troubles for the ruble, which took a hit Wednesday along with the stock market over rumors of separate new tough US sanctions over election meddling.

But the Russian finance ministry, quoted by Ria-Novosti news agency, sought to allay fears, saying the measures ultimately might not be put in place, though it acknowledged that markets were "once again under pressure."

The latest mixed messages over Russia involve a letter from Trump that Republican US Senator Rand Paul delivered to Putin during a visit to Moscow this week.

Paul said the letter "emphasized the importance of further engagement in various areas including countering terrorism, enhancing legislative dialogue and resuming cultural exchanges."

The White House said Trump provided "a letter of introduction" at Paul's request, and that the president "mentioned topics of interest that Senator Paul wanted to discuss with President Putin."
The United States imposes new sanctions on Russia after the use of a Novichok nerve agent in the United Kingdom. Yesterday, the UK said that they would seek extradition of suspects from Russia.