Russia has sent a list of 13 questions to the UN's chemical weapons watchdog, the OPCW, demanding answers on its involvement in the British probe into the poisoning by a nerve agent of former double agent Sergei Skripal.The letter was published by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Sunday, a day after similar questionnaires were forwarded to the foreign departments of the UK and France. The final question on the list read: “Have the samples of a chemical warfare agent of this type or its analogues been developed in France and if so, for what purpose?”

Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were discovered on a bench in Salisbury in early March, with the UK claiming a Soviet-designed nerve agent was used against them. It also included demands to know what treatment the pair were given and queried France's 'involvement' in the investigation and asked if the nerve agent Novichok could have been 'researched, developed or produced in the UK'. You may ask a question — not a list or series of questions as there are others in the gallery that may also want to ask a question. Russia is asking the OPCW to explain France's involvement in the investigation of the Skripal case, which was a crime involving Russian citizens on the British soil, with no apparent effect on French interests. How did such antidotes come into the possession of British doctors at the scene of the incident?On what grounds was France involved in technical cooperation in the investigation of the incident, in which Russian citizens were injured?Did the UK notify the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) of France's involvement in the investigation of the Salisbury incident?What does France have to do with the incident, involving two Russian citizens in the UK?What rules of UK procedural legislation allow for the involvement of a foreign state in an internal investigation?What evidence was handed over to France to be studied and for the investigation to be conducted?Were the French experts present during the sampling of biomaterial from Sergei and Yulia Skripal?Was the study of biomaterials from Sergei and Yulia Skripal conducted by the French experts and, if so, in which specific laboratories?Does the UK have the materials involved in the investigation carried out by France?Have the results of the French investigation been presented to the OPCW Technical Secretariat?Based on what attributes was the alleged "Russian origin" of the substance used in Salisbury established?Does the UK have control samples of the chemical warfare agent, which British representatives refer to as "Novichok"?Have the samples of a chemical warfare agent of the same type as "Novichok" (in accordance to British terminology) or its analogues been developed in the UK? Other questions are about which OPCW laboratories will analyze the samples brought from the UK, and when to expect results. The 13 questions, sent by Russia's permanent mission at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the watchdog's Technical Secretariat, can be divided into broader groups that address three important aspects of the ongoing investigation: the UK's dealings with the OPCW, the OPCW's procedure and France's involvement in the investigation.The first several questions deal with the assistance that the OPCW provided to the British in the investigation.Moscow is also askingand whether the Technical Secretariat has plans to share its information on the Skripal case with the OPCW Executive Council, of which Russia is a member.Russia wants more clarity regarding the recent visit of OPCW experts to the UK: who the team's leader and members were, how long they stayed and who they interacted with.Theof the order in which the samples, data, and records are handled by various parties involved in an investigation, which ensures the physical security of the evidence.Other questions are aboutbrought from the UK, and when to expect results.Russia is asking the OPCW toof the Skripal case, which was a crime involving Russian citizens on the British soil, with no apparent effect on French interests.Moscow is also wonderingMoscow is asking whether the watchdog received materials on the Skripal case from the French investigation and - if so - whether they will be shared with Russia.Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were poisoned with what the UK claims is the Soviet-designed nerve agent А-234 (also known as 'Novichok'), in Salisbury in early March.
The Embassy of Russia in London releases a list of 14 questions over the attack, including a question on possible French involvement.