Russian Embassy in UK slams Scotland Yard's approach to fact-finding in Skripal case
Sep 21, 2021
London [UK], September 21 (ANI/Sputnik): The Russian Embassy in the UK, during a meeting at the UK Foreign Office, expressed its categorical rejection of the methods used by the UK police in establishing the facts in the case of Yulia and Sergei Skripal, the Russian diplomatic mission said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, the UK Counter Terrorism Policing network said prosecutors have identified and indicted a third suspect in the Skripal poisoning case. According to UK investigators, this is a "GRU officer Denis Sergeev" who allegedly arrived in the UK as "Sergey Fedotov."
He is accused of conspiracy to assassinate Sergey Skripal, attempted murder of Sergey Skripal, Yulia Skripal and UK policeman Nick Bailey, of causing grievous harm to Yulia Skripal and Nick Bailey, as well as the possession and use of chemical weapons.
Ivan Volodin, Minister Counselor of the Russian Embassy in the UK, was summoned to the Foreign Office in connection with the indictment of the third person involved in the case.
"Today, during a meeting at the UK Foreign Office, we expressed categorical rejection by Russia of the approach to establishing the truth shown by Scotland Yard, once again called on the UK side to provide official materials of the investigation, and also stressed that we continue to insist on receiving information about the fate of Sergey and Yulia Skripals," the statement said.
The embassy called attempts to use data on the entry and exit of a certain person into the UK as evidence of involvement in the poisoning of the Skripals ridiculous.
"Like the previous accusations made during this 'investigation', no specific facts were presented to the public, let alone the Russian side, which would indicate the involvement of this person in the events of 2018. And an attempt to present information about the arrival and departure of a certain person from the UK territory on certain days of March 2018 as a 'newly discovered circumstance' looks completely ridiculous," the statement says.
The embassy recalled that the extradition of Russians to other states was impossible at least in accordance with the constitution of Russia, and this principle would continue to be observed.
Moscow is ready to cooperate in the Skripal poisoning case if London abandons the concept of appointing the guilty, the embassy said. (ANI/Sputnik)
