Russia spied on Skripal and daughter for at least five years - UK

 

Salisbury District Hospital is seen after Yulia Skripal was discharged, in Salisbury, Britain, April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Russia's intelligence agencies spied on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia for at least five years before they were attacked with a nerve agent in March, the national security adviser to Britain's prime minister said.

 

Mark Sedwill said in a letter to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday that email accounts of Yulia had been targeted in 2013 by cyber specialists from Russia's GRU military intelligence service.

 

Sedwill also said in the letter, which was published by the government, that it was "highly likely that the Russian intelligence services view at least some of its defectors as legitimate targets for assassination."

 

The Skripals were targeted by what London says was a nerve agent attack that left both of them critically ill for weeks. British Prime Minister Theresa May has said it is highly likely that Moscow was behind the attack.

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted on Friday that a report this week by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) did not confirm the origin of the poison used against the Skripals.

 

Lavrov said the report only confirmed the composition of the substance and that Britain's claim that it confirmed the UK position on the Skripal case was overstated.

 

Separately on Friday, Russia's ambassador to Britain said he was concerned the British government was trying to get rid of evidence related to the case.

 

"We get the impression that the British government is deliberately pursuing the policy of destroying all possible evidence, classifying all remaining materials and making an independent and transparent investigation impossible," Alexander Yakovenko told reporters.

 

He also said Russia could not be sure about the authenticity of a statement issued by Yulia Skripal on Wednesday in which she declined the offer of help from the Russian embassy.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-04-14

said it before and I will say it again

 

Putin is a very dangerous man, he has a really sick agenda and there only one way it will end

 

he reminds me of Hitler 

 

Anyone want to know how North Korea developed its Nuclear capabilities ........................ right from Russia

 

Now that the west is going to close off all the illegal shipping trade supplying NK with food and fuel breaking sanctions (many from Russia) they have no decided that talks are better

 

Russia...................Putin...................dangerous  dangerous dangerous

 

China will sit back and watch laughing

and unfortunately there is only one way to deal with him

 

he is backing Syria - any right minded person knows exactly what that is

 

Putin doesn't give a (deleted) Syria, he got involved there for one reason, to test the west.....well he has got his wish and none of it ends well

 

The first attack on a UK US or French asset will result in massive retaliation

 

The Allies have told them to go - leave the area - if they don't heed the warning then it is their own fault if they get involved 

Weapons grade nerve agent failure is now on Pukeins cv who knocks Russia out of the world cup might be nervous.    

I'm sure the GCHQ spied on them too.

3 hours ago, BuaBS said:

I'm sure the GCHQ spied on them too.

That's obviously how they knew about the Russian surveillance. They're all at it.

 

5 hours ago, smedly said:

and unfortunately there is only one way to deal with him

 

he is backing Syria - any right minded person knows exactly what that is

 

Putin doesn't give a (deleted) Syria, he got involved there for one reason, to test the west.....well he has got his wish and none of it ends well

 

The first attack on a UK US or French asset will result in massive retaliation

 

The Allies have told them to go - leave the area - if they don't heed the warning then it is their own fault if they get involved 

Calm down. It takes two to tango. And we know what a great dancer our Don is.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/british-ambassador-to-russia-briefing-on-the-salisbury-attack-following-the-opcw-report-13-april-2018

Not mentioned by Reuters:

Russia had tested whether door handles could be used to deliver nerve agents.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/13/russia-tested-nerve-agent-on-door-handles-before-skripal-attack-uk-dossier-claims

 

As l said the shifty losing Russians 

16 hours ago, BuaBS said:

I'm sure the GCHQ spied on them too.

 

One or the other UK intelligence service keeping tabs on him would pretty much be in their job description. The same goes with regard to their Russian counterparts. The latter got more of a motivation for such surveillance to serve hostile goals.

Russia should now be blacklisted from the rest of the western world. The worst nation ever, pity china have now joined them.

Hardly surprising .

British government has made london a home from home for scores of putin beholden oligarchs and carpetbaggers who supplement the 'diplomatic' corp from the russian embassy.

Something needs to be done about the unfettered access they have to people in high places due to their ill gotten gains. 

Have a look in the mirror theresa may...not a pretty sight

21 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

That's obviously how they knew about the Russian surveillance. They're all at it.

 

Calm down. It takes two to tango. And we know what a great dancer our Don is.

Dimwit Don will do anything to get trump towers in moscow and st Petersburg.  

1 hour ago, Jingjock said:

Russia should now be blacklisted from the rest of the western world. The worst nation ever, pity china have now joined them.

something  I predicted but was told I was talking nonsense 

 

Russia - China - N. Korea - Iran and possibly Turkey, flash areas that could trigger conflict - Syria - N. Korea - Israel - Iran  Ukraine and the South China Sea

 

I think China would likely let it play out then step in when it sees an opportunity 

 

Will it ever happen, I think it is part of the Putin playbook