The substance used on Sergei Skripal was an agent called BZ, according to the Swiss laboratory Spiez, said the Russian foreign minister. The toxin was never produced in Russia, but it was in service in the United States, the United Kingdom and other NATO states.
Sergei Skripal, a former Russian double agent, and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with an incapacitating toxin known as 3-Quinuclidinyl benzylate or BZ, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, citing the results of the examination conducted by a Swiss chemical laboratory. who worked with the samples that London handed over to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The Swiss center sent the results to the OPCW. However, the United Nations only confirmed the formula of the substance used to poison the Skripals in its final report without mentioning anything about the other facts presented in the Swiss document, the Russian foreign minister added. He went on to say Moscow would ask the OPCW to decide not to include the information provided by the Swiss in its report.
The Swiss center Lavrov cites is the Spiez laboratory controlled by the Federal Office of Civil Protection and, ultimately, by the country's defense minister. The laboratory is also an internationally recognized center of excellence in the field of nuclear, biological and chemical protection and is one of five centers permanently authorized by the OPCW.
The Russian foreign minister said London has refused to answer dozens of "very specific" questions posed by Moscow about the Salisbury case, as well as providing substantial evidence that could shed light on the incident. Instead, the UK accused Russia of failing to answer its own questions, he said, adding that, in fact, London did not ask questions but wanted Moscow to admit it was responsible for delivering the chemical agent to the UK.