Russia’s ambassador to the UK was ridiculed after after making “deranged” claims that his country had nothing to do with the Salisbury poisonings.
Speaking to the BBC, Andrei Kelin dismissed the allegation that GRU officers had carried out the Novichok attacks which failed to kill Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer and double agent for the British intelligence agencies and his daughter, Yulia in 2018.
The nerve agent did claim a victim, however: mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess.
The 44-year-old was fatally contaminated after sampling a bottle of perfume given to her by partner Charlie Rowley,
An inquiry heard last week how Ms Sturgess began foaming at the mouth and convulsing 10 or 15 minutes after spraying the contents of the perfume bottle which, unbeknownst to Rowley, actually contained the deadly nerve agent.
The UK Government holds Russia, and two Russian agents, known as Alexander Petrov and Rsslan Boshirov, responsible for the attack, which led to the biggest expulsion of Russian “diplomatic staff ” from Britain since the Cold War.
The family of Dawn Sturgess have been calling on Vladimir Putin to speak to the inquiry after her death in the Salisbury poisonings.
Asked to explain how the UK, US, France, Germany, Canada all believe the attack was carried out by Russia with Novichok manufactured in Russia, Kelin replied that “too many governments” were involved and dismissed their allegation as “nonsense“.
Russia expert Keir Giles of the Chatham House think tank said: “I have absolutely no idea why anyone would ask him in the first place. Of course he is going to deny it. That is his job.”
Giles, author of book “Russia‘s War on Everybody”, added: “Claims that Russia had nothing to do with the Salisbury poisonings are the preserve of deranged conspiracy theorists and paid propagandists for the Kremlin.”