MOSCOW, April 1. /TASS/. The United Kingdom cannot make secret information on the Skripal case and London will bear responsibility for this provocation, Russian Ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko said in an interview with Itogi Nedeli (Weekly Results) program on NTV Television Channel on Sunday.

"I believe that this time, like in the case with [Alexander] Litvinenko, like in the case with [Badri] Patarkatsishvili, [Boris] Berezovsky, [Alexander] Perepilichny, [Nikolai] Glushkov, efforts will fail to make this information secret. I am sure that Russia won’t let Britons out of the legal field and the Britons will have to bear responsibility," the ambassador said.

Russia is currently "choosing the methods" and determining which way to follow, Yakovenko said.

According to the ambassador, there are "serious suspicions" that the provocation was staged by the British intelligence services.

"They are refusing to cooperate with us and are not giving us any facts. These realities naturally prompt us to conclude that this is a provocation made by the special services," the diplomat stressed.

Skripal case

Relations between Moscow and London have deteriorated sharply over the poisoning of former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, who was earlier sentenced in Russia for spying for the UK, and his daughter Yulia, who on March 4 were found unconscious on a bench near the Maltings shopping center in Salisbury. Police said they had been exposed to a nerve agent.

Later, London claimed that the toxin of Novichok-class had been allegedly developed in Russia. With that, the UK rushed to accuse Russia of being involved, while failing to produce any evidence. Moscow refuted the accusations that it had been involved in the incident and points out that neither the Soviet Union nor Russia has ever done research into that toxic chemical.

Without providing any proof, London expelled 23 Russian diplomats and suspended all planned high-level bilateral contacts. In response, Moscow expelled the equal number of UK diplomats. In addition, Britain’s consulate in St. Petersburg was ordered to be closed and the British Council’s operations in Russia were terminated.</s>London’s reluctance to share information on the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal has led Moscow to strongly suspect that it was the actual perpetrator of the crime, the Russian ambassador to Britain said.

The poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury triggered the worst diplomatic conflict between London and Moscow in years. The UK accused the Russian government of using a military grade nerve agent against the former spy and, according to Moscow, is stonewalling all attempts by Moscow to learn details of the ongoing investigation into the incident.

Moscow is increasingly convinced that Britain is the real culprit behind the attack, according to Russian Ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko.

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“We have very serious suspicion that this provocation was done by British intelligence,” Yakovenko told Russia’s NTV channel. He clarified that Russia has no direct proof of this suspicion, but the behavior of the British government constitutes strong circumstantial evidence in support of this theory.

The diplomat added that London had gained both short-term and long-term benefits from the poisoning. The short-term gain is that Theresa May’s government managed to spin this story to whip up support both at home and in Europe, while sidelining its failures to negotiate more favorable terms for exiting the European Union, Yakovenko said. The long-term benefit is that it improved London’s standing in the ongoing confrontation between the West and Russia.

“The Britons are claiming a leading role in the so-called containment of Russia. To win support from the people and the parliament for this containment of Russia, a serious provocation was required. And the Britons may have done a really savage one to get this support,” he said.

The ambassador said that details of British investigations into the deaths of several high-profile people with Russian ties have been kept from the public. These include former Russian intelligence officer Aleksandr Litvinenko, Georgian tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili, fugitive Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky and Russian whistleblower Aleksandr Perepilichny. He said he hoped there would be a public disclosure of relevant facts in relation to the Skripal case.

“I am sure Russia will not allow the Britons to escape the legal field. They will have to give answers,” he said.

Skripal case: How UK ‘explains’ why Russia is to blame in 1-minute VIDEO https://t.co/Dx0uqP0LrEpic.twitter.com/7UfX2gAwVr — RT (@RT_com) March 30, 2018

After the poisoning in Salisbury, the UK convinced some of its allies to follow its lead by expelling Russian diplomats. The US was the most receptive to the call, kicking 60 Russians out of the country, which dwarfed the UK’s expulsion of 23 people. European countries that chose to show solidarity with London expelled between one and four diplomats each. Ukraine expelled 13.

Russia hit back with reciprocal expulsions of foreign diplomats. It also demanded that Britain downsize its diplomatic mission in Russia to that of Russia in Britain, affecting over 50 jobs.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!</s>Russia's Ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, says that London's reluctance to share information on the March 4 poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal has led Moscow to suggest that London authorities actually perpetrated the crime.

“We have very serious suspicion that this provocation was done by British intelligence,” Yakovenko told Russia's NTV channel - adding however that Moscow had no direct proof, but that the UK's behavior constitutes strong circumstantial evidence in support of their theory.

Yakovenko also suggested that London had gained several benefits from the poisoning - both short and long-term, in that Theresa May's government is capitalizing on the event in order to boost support at home, while burying headlines over its failures to negotiate better Brexit terms. The long-term benefit, according to Yakovenko, is that London is able to elevate itself into a primary position in the ongoing confrontation between the West and Russia.

Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in Salisbury using what the UK says was a "military grade" nerve agent developed by Russia from the "Novichok" family of toxins - however Russia's representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) told state-run television in mid-March that the U.S. and U.K. developed the military-grade nerve agent used in the attack.

"There has never been a ‘Novichok’ research project conducted in Russia," Shulgin told the Rossia-1 television station, as the The Moscow Times first reported. "But in the West, some countries carried out such research, which they called 'Novichok,' for some reason.” According to military experts at the British Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, the substance used in the attack is part of the "Novichoks" family of nerve agents. This roughly translates into "newcomer" in Russian. Speaking at the 87th session of the OPCW Friday, Shulgin suggested the “unfounded” accusations from the West should be redirected at themselves. “[It] may very well be that the substance used [in Skripal’s poisoning] may have come from the stocks” of the U.S. and U.K. -Newsweek

“Our British colleagues should recall that Russia and the United Kingdom are members of the OPCW which is one of the most successful and effective disarmament and non-proliferation mechanisms," Shulgin said. "We call upon them to abandon the language of ultimatums and threats and return to the legal framework of the chemical convention, which makes it possible to resolve this kind of situation."

Yakovenko also notes that the British authorities have insisted on withholding information from the public regarding the deaths of high-profile people with Russian ties, such as former Russian intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko, Georgian tycoon-turned-fugitive Badri Patarkatsishvili, Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky, and Russian whistleblower Aleksandr Perepilichny.

Following the Skripal poisoning, the UK and several of its allies responded by expelling Russian diplomats - with the Trump administration kicking 60 Russians out of the country, and the UK expelling 23. Russia returned "fire" with the expulsion of several foreign diplomats, and a demand that Britain scale back its diplomatic mission in Russia - affecting over 50 jobs.

The UK still hasn't explained why out of the myriad of ways to kill a human being, Russia would use Novichok - certainly knowing it would directly implicate them in Skripal's death.</s>(Image: GETTY)

Britain and Russia remain locked in a diplomatic nightmare as tensions reach heights not seen since the Cold War over the attempted murder of the MI6 double agent in Salisbury.

Skripal and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found collapsed on a bench in the town after being poisoned with military grade nerve agent Novichok.

UK officials have pointed the finger at the Kremlin, saying it is “highly likely” that Putin was behind the attempt of the spy’s life.

Putin’s top diplomat in Britain has now outright claimed the UK may have staged the attack on Skripal to rally support against Russia.

Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko told Russian TV that the Kremlin has a “very serious suspicion that this provocation was one by British intelligence”.

Britain and its allies have thrown out more than 100 Russian diplomats over the attack on Skripal, with the spy remaining in a critical condition.

Yakovenko has long asserted Russia had nothing to do with the attack on the spy 28 days ago, which left more 100 people exposed to Novichok.

Russia has repeated denied allegations and has called for access to the Skripals and samples from the scene so the Kremlin can carry out its own investigation.

The ambassador alleged Britain has the most to gain from the attack on Skripal, saying “they will have to give answers”.

(Image: GETTY)

(Image: GETTY)

Yakovenko said: "The Britons are claiming a leading role in the so-called containment of Russia.

"To win support from the people and the parliament for this containment of Russia, a serious provocation was required. And the Britons may have done a really savage one to get this support.”

He added: “We have very serious suspicion that this provocation was done by British intelligence.”

The Kremlin previously issued an ultimatum demanding Britain provide proof it wasn’t involved in the Skripal poisoning – or it would consider it an attack on Russia.

Russia has previous allegations against it for attempting to assassinate enemies of the Kremlin on foreign soil – such as the high profile death of former Russian spook Aleksandr Litvinenko.

Britain is also being backed by 25 other powers as they kicked out scores of Russian diplomats – including 60 from the US.

Putin’s government has pledged to respond in kind, kicking out the same numbers from each nation.

Tensions continued to boil over yesterday when UK police stormed a Russian plane on the tarmac at Heathrow.

Russia blasted the UK for carrying out “another blatant provocation” after the plane was searched when it landed from Moscow.

Skripal's poisoning only added the already plunging relations between Britain and Russia.

Tensions have risen due to allegations of Russian election hacking and disinformation, the ongoing Russian intervention over the war in Syria, and the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Daily Star Online previously revealed Russia’s “Dead Hand” nuclear weapon system is being upgraded amid rising Cold War-esque fears.</s>"This provocation has been carried out by UK secret services. We are not provided with any facts, they refuse to cooperate with us. Such a state of affairs brings us to the judgment that it is a provocation organized by secret services," Yakovenko told the NTV broadcaster.

The diplomat said that the provocation has been caused by two reasons, including the need to hide the fact that London had accepted almost all the conditions laid down by Brussels in the Brexit talks. The second reason is the intention to be a leader in the so-called deterrence of Russia and the need to gain the support of both parliament and people.

READ MORE: Polish Politician: Ex-Spy Skripal Was 'Highly Likely' Poisoned by CIA

Skripal, a former Russian intelligence officer, who also worked for UK intelligence, and his daughter Yulia have been in the hospital since March 4 due to exposure to what UK experts say is the A234 nerve agent. The Salisbury District Hospital medical staff said that Yulia had come out of a coma, began talking and was recovering rapidly, while her father, former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, was still in a critical but stable condition.

Russia has strongly rejected the accusations voiced by UK officials and offered to assist in the investigation. Following the decision of several countries to expel diplomats, Moscow has responded to the expulsions by taking reciprocal measures with regard to the states that expelled Russian diplomats.</s>Russia's foreign minister has accused Britain and the United States of spreading "lies and disinformation" about the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy in England.

Britain has said Russia is likely behind the March 4 nerve agent attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Moscow has vehemently denied any involvement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced the British accusations on Monday as a "mad and horrible provocation." He insisted that Moscow had no motive to attack Skripal, who was released from a Russian prison during a 2010 spy swap.

Lavrov mocked Britain's claim that there is no plausible alternative explanation for the poisoning. He says British intelligence agencies could have been involved and alleges the case helped distract public attention from the British government's difficult Brexit negotiations.</s>Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said the UK could be behind the former spy's poisoning, accusing the West of playing "children's games". Lavrov told a press conference on 2 April that there were "other explanations" over the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy and his daughter in Salisbury last month. "Experts tell us that it may well be beneficial to the British special services, who are known for their ability to act with license to kill," he said. "The attack could be beneficial to the ...
In an interview, Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Alexander Yakovenko calls the poisoning a provocation and states that the Russian government suspects British intelligence agencies of being behind the incident.