Sergei Skripal's niece, the former Russian spy poisoned in Britain with her daughter, says she plans to travel to England to try to bring Yulia, daughter of Skripal back to Russia.
Viktoria Skripal, the niece, said on state television Wednesday night that she had applied for a British visa, but she was not sure that the British authorities would let her see her cousin Yulia, or her uncle Sergei, who had been poisoned at Salisbury the 4 last March with a nerve agent.
The attack left the Skripals in critical condition, but on March 29 the hospital where they are treated said that Yulia was improving, while the BBC said she was even "conscious and talking".
“At the moment I have a goal: to fly there and take Yulia away, at least Yulia,” said Viktoria Skripal, adding that Yulia has always been very far from politics. "It's much more complicated with Sergei Skripal."
She said she was in regular contact with Russia's ambassador to London, Alexander Yakovenko, and that he had helped her obtain a Russian passport for travel.
She said that the British authorities did not give her assurances that she would be able to see Yulia.
Russia has no information on the situation of the two victims of the poisoning in Salisbury, Sergei and Julia Skripal. This was stated by the Russian ambassador to London, Aleksander Jakovenko. The television station "Rossija 1" today released a recording of a conversation Julia Skripal allegedly had with her cousin Victoria, where it is claimed that her father, who was allegedly poisoned with her with a "Novichok" nerve agent, is under normal conditions. According to reports from the Russian television station, the authenticity of the recording cannot be confirmed at the moment. “We have no official information from the British side, we have always relied on official statements. But it is a good opportunity for us to ask the Foreign Ministry again about the conditions in which Sergej and Julia Skripal find themselves. It is a good opportunity for us to remember our questions, which have been asked about five times but have remained unanswered ”, said Jakovenko during a press conference in London.
Britain accused Moscow of the chemical attack, which Russia denies.
The case has thrown East-West relations into their worst crisis since the Cold War, with Britain and its allies expelling some 130 Russian diplomats. Moscow, in retaliation, responded with the same expulsions from Russia as Western diplomats.