Russia slams Britain, links Skripal accusations with Brexit

Russia has drawn a link between Brexit and the current stand-off over the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Britain was attempting to “find a new role” for itself after Brexit, Russian Ambassador to London Alexander Yakovenko said in response to a question on what he believed Britain’s motivations to be when it came to its firm response to the poisonings, highlighting Britain’s view of Russia as Britain’s “main state based threat” and the “main threat to the international order.”

At a press conference in London, Yakovenko said that if Britain were a “serious country” it had to back up its accusations with evidence, pointing to the country’s track record on “misleading” intelligence when it came to the conflict in former Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Libya.

History lesson

“We cannot take British words for granted…History shows British statements must be verified,” he insisted, accusing Britain of “deliberately avoiding” Russian requests for further details on the condition of the Skripals, and the evidence gathering process, including the contention that A234, a nerve agent allegedly part of a Russian “Novichok” or “new kid” programme, had been deployed against them, and policeman Nick Bailey, who was hospitalised after coming to their aid.

A barrage of accusations, rhetoric and action has followed the 4 March poisoning of the Skripals in the English city of Salisbury.

While Prime Minister Theresa May has accused Russia of the “unlawful use of force,” Britain, Germany, the US and France came together to condemn the first use of a nerve agent on European soil since the Second World War.

Britain and Russia have each expelled 23 diplomats from each other’s territory.

Earlier this week Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson drew parallels between the propaganda that would deployed in the forthcoming Russian World Cup and the 1936 Olympics in Berlin by the Nazis – comments the Ambassador described as “irresponsible” and “unacceptable.”

“Nobody has the right to insult the Russian people who defeated Nazism and who lost 25 million people,” during the war, Yakovenko said.

Russia’s response to Britain’s accusations has been to slam the lack of information communicated to Russia, both under the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations, regarding the sharing of information about nationals on a foreign territory (they say they are yet to receive any details on the condition of the Skripals), and the convention of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which it believes requires a level of engagement not yet seen from the British side.

“The burden of proof lies with the British authorities,” he said.

While Britain’s traditional Western allies have rallied behind the country, the British Labour party has adopted a more cautious stance.

Last week Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also raised the track record of Britain’s intelligence services when it came to assessment of Weapons of Mass Destruction programmes, and urged a cautious, fact-based approach.

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