UK blocks Russian draft on ex-spy's death at UN

Former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Photo: Moscow Military Court.

"On March 14, Russia submitted to the UN Security Council a short, focused, and factual draft calling for an early and comprehensive investigation in the UK in line with international standards. However, the UK delegation to the UN distorted the meaning of this draft, preventing the Security Council from reaching a consensus on this issue," said Fedor Strzhizhovsky, press secretary of the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN.

The Russian draft includes two proposals: Russia expresses its deep concern regarding the alleged use of a nerve agent to poison former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter; and calls on all member states to support consultations and cooperate in the investigation of this incident, in accordance with the UN Chemical Weapons Convention.

The Russian Permanent Mission to the UN affirmed that this draft expresses Russia's support for the implementation of the international convention on building "a world without chemical weapons".

Previously, at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Britain's Western allies, the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), declared their support for Britain, and continuously criticized and opposed Russia.

Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia also affirmed that the British suspicions were "completely unacceptable", and asked the British to provide solid evidence. He affirmed that it was impossible to baselessly accuse Russia of being behind the poisoning.

Russia also said that this accusation was just a "play" and a provocation by the UK, while the Russian Embassy in London said that the UK was playing a "dangerous game" by seemingly assuming Russia's involvement in the incident.

Russia has so far maintained that the Russian military's possession of the dangerous Novichok poison cannot be used as a basis to assert that Russia was behind the poisoning of Mr. Skripal and his daughter. The Kremlin affirmed that Russia is ready to cooperate with the UK to investigate the incident.

The poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal continues to escalate tensions between the UK and Russia, when yesterday, after warnings, British Prime Minister Theresa May officially expelled 23 Russian diplomats in the UK and suspended high-level diplomatic contacts with Russia. Along with that, it may be the visa cancellation of many tycoons who are said to have close ties to the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In response to the UK's decision, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it had received a list of expelled staff and would soon take appropriate retaliatory measures.

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, was a colonel in the Russian military intelligence agency (GRU). He was arrested in 2004 and sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2006 for spying for the UK. According to Russian media, Skripal received $100,000 from British intelligence for “the merit” of providing the UK with information about GRU agents operating in European countries at that time.

In July 2010, then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev officially signed an order to release Skripal.