Russia hits back over UK ‘provocation’… and blames Brexit
Russia has hit back against the UK's claims it was behind the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal, claiming the measures announced by Theresa May are "signs of a provocation against our country".
The UK Prime Minister yesterday revealed a series of retaliatory measures against the Russian state, including the expulsion of 23 diplomats whom she described as "undisclosed intelligence officers", a partial boycott of the World Cup and threats of assets being frozen.
She has been backed by many in the international community, including Nato, the US, Canada, France, Germany and the EU.
And last night members of the United Nations Security Council lined up to condemn Russia. The US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said “this is a defining moment…the credibility of this council will not survive if we fail to hold Russia to account.”
However, this morning Russia once again argued it had "no connection to what happened in Great Britain".
“These are all signs of a provocation against our country. The position of the British side seems absolutely irresponsible to us,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov claimed London was using it as a distraction from Brexit, describing the government as behaving in a "boorish" way. Those who accused Russia were "guided by a sick and warped logic", he claimed.
"London is trying to reduce everything to political rhetoric and Russophobia, in the hope the Western World will toe the line, snap a salute," he added.
He added that Russia would "certainly" respond in kind to the expulsion of its diplomats.
He said that the move would come “soon,” but added Moscow would inform London via official channels before publicly announcing its countermeasures.
The Russian Embassy this morning tweeted that the nerve agent Novichok could have been produced in the UK.