Poisoning of Sergei Skripal

Who is Sergei Skripal?

 * Wikipedia: Sergei Skripal (After arrest in 2006, after spy exchange in 2010)
 * Salisbury, scratchcards and sausage: the quiet life of Sergei Skripal - The Guardian, March 6, 2018
 * ''Quite why the Skripals arrived in Salisbury is not clear. It may be that he liked the idea of the quiet country life. But Salisbury and the surrounding areas are very much army territory and that may have helped him feel more secure.
 * SPY GAMES Russian spy Sergei Skripal was MI6 double agent codenamed ‘Forthwith’ who sold Moscow’s secrets for years - The Sun, March 10, 2018
 * Who was Russian double agent Sergei Skripal? - Adam Smith, Metro, March 10, 2018
 * In Britain, the Skripals were promised dementia(Rusvesna); Russian agent may have limited mental capacity after nerve attack (Reuters), March 22-23, 2018
 * Blood drawn for tests, by court order
 * The court's decision says that an unnamed doctor who treats Skripals reported that they are under powerful sedatives (typical for medical-induced coma) and are unable to communicate, and so it is not yet possible to assess when and to what extent they will be able to restore mental abilities.
 * ''“The precise effect of their exposure on their long term health remains unclear, albeit medical tests indicate that their mental capacity might be compromised to an unknown and so far unascertained degree,” Judge David Williams said in his ruling.
 * Poisoned former Russian double agent wrote to Putin for pardon, friend says, Salisbury Journal, March 24, 2018 (archived)
 * According to [Vladimir] Timoshkov, his friend [interviewed by the BBC in Russia], who he had known since school, did not see himself as a traitor as he had sworn an oath to the Soviet Union. "Many people shunned him. His classmates felt he had betrayed the Motherland," he said. "In 2012 he called me. We spoke for about half an hour. He called me from London. He denied he was a traitor... (he told me) he wrote to Vladimir Putin asking to be fully pardoned and to be allowed to visit Russia. His mother, brother and other relatives were (in Russia)." 


 * Skripal' is Ukrainian for violin player; the Russian for that is скрипач (Skripach). He was born in Kaliningrad, Russia according to English Wikipedia, and in Kiev, Ukraine according to Russian Wikipedia and Life.ru, and had a career in Russia. It is said that his self-described allegiance is 'Soviet'.
 * Peskov denied reports about the request of Skripal to return to Russia - RIA, March 25, 2018
 * It was earlier reported that Skripal wrote to Putin asking for full forgiveness and return to Russia. (but it was not confirmed by Peskov)
 * Russian spy poisoning: Sergei Skripal 'improving rapidly' -BBC, April 6, 2018

Connection to Pablo Miller and Christopher Steele

 * A hundred grand and hundreds of betrayed agents What was former GRU Colonel Sergey Skripal's treason against Russia? - Meduza, March 6, 2018
 * Police officer in hospital after Russian spy poison plot is named - Daily Mail, March 8, 2018
 * ''Was poisoning in retaliation to Trump 'dirty dossier'? Kremlin double agent 'was close to consultant employed by former MI6 spy Christopher Steele'
 * Poisoned Russian spy Sergei Skripal was close to consultant who was linked to the Trump dossier - The Telegraph, March 7, 2018 (mirror)
 * ''The Telegraph understands that Col Skripal moved to Salisbury in 2010 in a spy swap and became close to a security consultant employed by Christopher Steele, who compiled the Trump dossier. The British security consultant, according to a LinkedIn social network account that was removed from the internet in the past few days, is also based in Salisbury. On the same LinkedIn account, the man listed consultancy work with Orbis Business Intelligence, according to reports. Orbis is run by Mr Steele, a former MI6 agent, who compiled the notorious dossier on President Trump that detailed his allegedly corrupt dealings with Vladimir Putin.
 * Poisoned Russian Spy Linked To Christopher Steele - ZeroHedge, March 9, 2018
 * ''If, as The Telegraph posits, Skripal assisted Steele in compiling the dossier - which notably relies on senior Russian officials, despite Steele never having traveled to Moscow - according to testimony by Glenn Simpson of Fusion GPS, it could explain the motive behind the assassination attempt in Salisbury town centre.
 * A LinkedIn bio reportedly connects Sergei Skripal, Donald Trump and Christopher Steele - Tim Fernholz, Quartz, March 8, 2018
 * What You Are NOT being Told About Russian Spy Sergei Skripal - TruePublica, March 8, 2018
 * Hospitalized Russian spy linked to Russia-UK spy wars - CNN, March 9, 2018
 * ''What connects Salisbury to the spy wars of the mid-2000s? A man named Pablo Miller also has an address in Salisbury, according to his LinkedIn account.
 * Skripal: A Russian web or a RUSI web? - Alex Thomson, UK Column, March 12, 2018
 * Note: The author is not Alex Thomson of Channel 4 News but a former GCHQ officer. See this video.
 * And he got more drama than all Bond movies combined. P-tin teaching German in UK for 'C'? Dzhokar Dudaev owned by MI56? Dramatic silence for the ending? Then, Shakespeare may be a bit overrated. --Resup (talk) 23:04, 16 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Sir John Scarlett mentioned in the article is the former Chief of MI6 and the curent vice-chairman of RUSI.
 * Poisoned Russian Spy Was About To Prove MI6 Fabricated Trump Dossier - Your News Wire, March 17, 2018
 * A reprint of a hoax article by Sorcha Faal, with better formatting.

Connection to Malta and Cambridge Analytica

 * ''See also Cambridge Analytica


 * Russian spy poisoned in London was Malta embassy attaché in 1980s - Paul Cocks, Malta Today, March 7, 2018
 * Skripal-Caruana-Malta-CA connection holes govt’s ‘only plausible suspect’ claim below waterline - Skwawkbox, April 6, 2018

'Regularly meeting officers at the Russian Embassy'?

 * Vitaly Morozov, who knows Skripal', tells that Skripal' regularly met with officers at the Russian Embassy, finds it very strange; video -MSN, March 8, 2018; text-Mirror, March 7, 2018
 * “If you have a military intelligence officer working in the Russian diplomatic service, living after retirement in the UK, working in cyber-security and every month going to the embassy to meet military intelligence officers - for me being political refugee, it is either a certain danger or frankly speaking, I thought that this contact might not be very good for me because it can bring some questions from British officials.” (Noted: detail on meeting officers is unusual and outside a normal conversation; Morozov does not explain how this detail came about; if Skripal' volunteered to provide this detail, it would be quite natural to wish to stay away from such person).
 * Fellow Russian exile claims poisoned spy Sergei Skripal was NOT retired and was still working with military intelligence - Mirror, March 7, 2018
 * The Russian Embassy told the programme: “We are not aware of any contacts between Sergei Skripal and any of the Embassy staff. "As we have previously said, Mr Skripal was not on the consular register.” (Noted: whether or not he was on register is irrelevant).
 * Spook Soup - Ronald Thomas West, March 10, 2018

Yulia Skripal
See also Yulia Skripal audio
 * Russian spy: Yulia Skripal 'conscious and talking' - BBC, March 29, 2018
 * YULIA SKRIPAL IS NOT ALLOWED TO TELEPHONE HER GRANDMOTHER - John Helmer, Dances with Bears, April 1, 2018
 * Sergei Skripal's daughter was poisoned 'just days after gaining access to a £150,000 secret bank account' - Mirror, April 2, 2018
 * Salisbury poisoning victim Yulia Skripal breaks silence from hospital claiming "Sergei is fine" and she'll soon be discharged, claims Russian state TV - Mirror, April 5, 2018

The attack

 * Russian spy’s family says he knew he was a marked man before Salisbury ‘poisoning’ - The Sun, March 6, 2018
 * ''Skripal and his female companion, thought to be in her 30s, were found on Sunday afternoon slumped on a bench in the shopping centre while one of them had vomited nearby.
 * ''Skripal was taken to the city’s hospital by ambulance while his daughter was flown by air ambulance and their arrival sparked the shutdown of the hospital’s A&E department.
 * ''Police declared a major incident and quarantined key locations including the A&E department, where up to 12 people began vomiting.
 * Did treacherous past of Russian colonel finally catch up with him in Salisbury? - The Telegraph, March 6, 2018 (with photos, print version)
 * Sergei Skripal & daughter were exposed to nerve agent, police confirm - RT, March 7, 2018 (+ video)
 * Russian spy may have been poisoned at home, police believe, as military deployed to Salisbury - The Telegraph, March 9, 2018
 * Mystery of blonde woman with red handbag seen on CCTV 20 minutes before Russian double agent and daughter poisoned - Mirror, March 12, 2018
 * Governments Decree 'Truth' About Skripal - Dissenters Will Be Punished - Moon of Alabama, March 16, 2018
 * Unanswered questions about the poisoning of Sergei Skripal - David Bond, FT, March 19, 2018

Witnesses

 * Salisbury 'Russian spy' incident: Eyewitness describes couple - BBC, March 5, 2018 (video, shows witness Freya Church )
 * Russian spy incident: What we know - BBC, March 8, 2018 (video, shows witness Jamie Paine)
 * A man describes condition of the victims when he found them -video -Guardian News, March 8, 2018
 * Sergei Skripal’s doctor tells of fight to keep poisoned Russian spy’s daughter Yulia alive as nerve agent took hold - The Sun, March 9, 2018
 * Includes BBC video of witness.
 * George Galloway Delivers Unforgettable Opener On Sergei Skripal Poisoning - talkRADIO, March 9, 2018
 * ''“Only someone with access to Colonel Skripal's home could have poisoned the people in the house"
 * Niece of Skripal told about his daughter's enemies -Vzgliad, March 14, 2018' The Sun, March 15, 2018
 * ''Victoria Skripal, niece of the former GRU Colonel GRU Sergey Skripal believes that the attempt could have been committed not against him, but against his daughter, who was going to get married. The groom's mother was against the wedding. "Mom is a high-ranking employee of one of the structures. Julia for her is the traitor's daughter, "she said. Victoria Skripal also recalled that "one of the agencies said that he (Skripal) allegedly complained  to the police about a surveillance." "Two weeks ago, he supposedly thought that he was being watched. I do not know, we do not have such information. Everything was quiet and calm. If there was something like that, he would have definitely told us."
 * Body found in Salisbury, Salisbury Journal, March 16, 2018
 *  The body of a young man was found in Salisbury today. The man's body was found hanging from a tree on a footpath near the river Avon between Devizes Road and Stratford-sub-Castle. [...] A police spokesman said: [...] "There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances in relation to the death. [...] This is not linked to the on-going incident in Salisbury city centre."

Suspicious people seen

 * Suspicious masked woman spotted--The Daily Mail, March 12, 2018
 * ''The dark-haired woman was spotted wearing a black face mask as she left a Pret a Manger, a three-minute walk from where Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were later found convulsing and vomiting. At the time the pair were thought to be in the Mill pub a few yards away... Mr Francis, 50, said: ‘We were in the town centre in Pret a Manger. We were in there at 3.35pm and I was sitting by the door and this lady walked out at 3.40pm.
 * ''‘She was wearing a Sars mask, a black Sars mask tucked around her chin and a bag in her hand...‘She had dark hair, a single woman, but I didn’t think she was obviously Asian.’
 * ''On Sunday it was reported that a witness told police that an hour before the couple collapsed he saw a ‘man in a mask’ with his hood up acting suspiciously nearby. The witness said: ‘He looked threatening and aggressive and he was walking towards us with purpose. He gave me a stern look as he passed us by about 100 yards from the bench where they found the Russians.’

Source of poison?

 * Porton Down experts unable to identify 'precise source' of novichok that poisoned spy - Sky News, April 3, 2018
 * Interview with Porton Down's Aitkenhead, posted on twitter by SkyNews, April 3, 2018
 * Salisbury poisoning: UK experts cannot prove novichok nerve agent used on Skripals came from Russia, MoD says - The Independent, April 3, 2018
 * Unidentified: Porton Down scientists CANNOT confirm nerve agent used on Skripals was made in Russia - RT, April 3, 2018
 * Johnson and May Hide as their Lies Dissolve - Craig Murray, April 4, 2018
 * More Evidence That The UK's Russia Narrative Is A Verdict In Search Of A Crime - Caitlin Johnstone, April 4, 2018
 * Britain’s Boris Johnson accused of misleading public over Skripal poisoning evidence - Washington Post, April 4, 2018

Fast or slow acting?

 * Nerve agent in Russian spy attack designed to take 4 hours to work - Daily Mail, April 7, 2018
 * ''The Novichok timebomb: Nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy and his daughter was specially designed to take four hours to kill them so their assassins could flee Britain

'Novichok'

 * ''Moved to Novichok

Fentanyl
Early reports that made it to CNN spoke of the opioid Fentanyl as a cause of poisoning. These reports go back to the Salisbury Journal which has reported at least four times that they were told by "emergency services" that this drug could have been involved. A month earlier, the Journal reported about a prominent case of someone selling the substance on the "darkweb" and was send to prison for eight years over it.


 * Paramedic responding to Salisbury drama thought drugs were cause, Salisbury Journal, March 15, 2018
 *  A PARAMEDIC who was among the first to respond to Sergei Skripal and his daughter told the Prime Minister they had initially treated the pair for drugs. ... The man, named Ian, said he had been in the first ambulance service response car on the scene. Mrs May asked him: "At that stage you could only treat for what you can see?" Salisbury MP John Glen interjected to say he had heard initial reports the incident was drug-related. To which the paramedic replied: "Absolutely that's what I was treating for, that's what we treated them for initially." 
 * (Noted: paramedic will almost certainly have medical gloves, and likely no mask or respirator. Policeman likely will not have gloves and certainly no mask or respirator. If aerosol was sprayed, paramedic will be poisoned. So looks like skin or food method of delivery --Resup (talk) 17:30, 24 March 2018 (UTC))

Sarin?

 * Ultra-rare nerve agent used to poison spy ‘points finger at Putin’, say spooks - The Sun, March 7, 2018
 * ''Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, ex- commander of the Army’s chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear regiment, said: “All the circumstances point in the direction of sarin.
 * ''It comes as a policeman who raced to help stricken ex-spy Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia is in a coma. It is feared he either breathed in the toxic nerve agent used to poison the pair or brushed against it on their skin or clothing. The officer was the first to respond to calls for help after passers-by spotted Skripal, 66, and Yulia, 33, slumped on a bench in Salisbury, Wilts.
 * ''The UK’s senior anti-terror police chief yesterday said tests revealed a nerve agent had been used to poison the pair, who are also in comas.
 * Coma, unclear, may stand for medically induced coma, e.g. when somebody is sedated and placed on a ventilator machine in intensive care unit (and The Sun is a tabloid...)--Resup (talk) 14:11, 8 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Russian spy: Attack was 'brazen and reckless', says Amber Rudd - BBC, March 8, 2018
 * ''The source familiar with the investigation told the BBC it was likely to be rarer than the Sarin gas thought to have been used in Syria and in an attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995. And it was said not to be VX - the nerve agent used to kill the half brother of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Malaysia last year.
 * Russia's Lab X: poison factory that helped silence Soviets' critics - Luke Harding, The Guardian, March 9, 2018
 * Poisoned Russian spy Sergei Skripal’s daughter Yulia could have unwittingly released nerve agent after opening gift ‘from friends’ - The Sun, March 8, 2018
 * WAS SPY GIVEN RAT POISON? Russian spy cops probe Thallium - incredibly rare rat poison - The Sun, March 9, 2018

Organophosphate pesticide

 * Was the Skripal Affair triggered by a gardening accident? - Human rights investigations, March 31, 2018

Botulinum toxin

 * ''See Botulism and Botulinum toxin on Wikipedia.


 * How the 'poisoned' spy plot unfolded in Salisbury - Daily Mail, March 6, 2018
 * ''They ordered from the menu, choosing the 600 calorie risotto pesce with king prawns, mussels and squid rings in a tomato, chilli and white wine sauce. But within minutes Mr Skripal had become angry, a witness said.
 * Symptoms usually appear 12–36 hours after eating, but can also appear within 2 hours to 10 days.
 * Botulinum inhibits the release within the nervous system of acetylcholine (ACh), a neurotransmitter.
 * While nerve agents inhibit the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which is responsible for the breakdown of acetylcholine (ACh) in the synapse. Muscles are prevented from relaxing and are effectively paralyzed. This includes the heart and the muscles used for breathing. Because of this, the first symptoms usually appear within seconds of exposure.

Tetrodotoxin

 * ''See Tetrodotoxin on Wikipedia


 * Хвост вильнул собакой: оригинальная версия «дела Скрипаля» (Tail wagging the dog: the original version of the "Skripal case") - Andrey Lazarchuk, News Front, March 17, 2018
 * (Original post on Facebook, March 16, 2018)
 * Dog deaths across Suffolk and Norfolk coastline confirmed as Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning - Eleanor Pringle, Ipswich Star, January 30, 2018
 * The Best Explanation For The Skripal Drama Is ... Food Poisoning - Moon of Alabama, April 6, 2018

Israeli mystery opioid

 * Wikipedia: Khaled Mashal -> 1997 assassination attempt
 * Former Mossad chief Yatom recalls failed assassination attempt on Hamas head - Mainichi Japan, August 18, 2017
 * ''Yatom refused to name the chemical agent used, but there are reports that a substance easily absorbed by the human body -- which contains the synthetic sedative fentanyl said to be 200 times more potent than morphine -- had been manufactured at the Israel Institute for Biological Research. The institute is under the jurisdiction of the prime minister's office.

Treatment?
See also discussion comments
 * METHOD OF TREATING ORGANOPHOSPHOROUS POISONING, US Patent, 15 Sept. 2015 (mentions Novichoks, 10:65-11:25)

Location of attack?
No one seems to know where, when and how the alleged attack happened. Teresa May claims that the agent has been identified, but the investigators still do not have a sample of the agent. If they had identified the location of the attack or the container used to transport the agent, they would most likely have a sample.
 * Russian spy poison plot: Hero police officer named as Nick Bailey - Daily Mail, March 8, 2018
 * ''Detective Sergeant married father-of-two Nick Bailey, 38, was also revealed as the hero police officer rushed to hospital in wake of the attack, as police investigate whether he was poisoned re-tracing the father and daughter's steps.
 * UK’s “novichok” claim exposed as lies: what is the current reality of the Skripal case? - OffGuardian, March 16, 2018
 * ''The paramount question would seem to be how and where did Bailey become poisoned? Unfortunately this seemingly easily answered question has become confused and at least two conflicting versions of how it happened have been offered.
 * Russian ex-spy's poisoning in UK believed from nerve agent in car vents; at least 38 others sickened: Sources - ABC News, March 18, 2018
 * Vehicle used to pick up Yulia Skripal from airport seized for forensic tests - The Telegraph, March 19, 2018
 * Cops and Army ‘swoop on car used to pick up poisoned Russian spy’s daughter Yulia Skripal from Heathrow’ - The Sun, March 19, 2018
 * Skripal case: DS Bailey leaves hospital; MSM still spinning casualty figures, OffGuardian, March 23, 2018
 * The officer has left hospital on March 22 and went home, according to the Wiltshire police who read a lengthy statement allegedly by Nick Bailey in which he gives no details whatsoever about what happened and asks the press to respect his and his family's privacy. Already while recovering in hospital he has done his best to respond to as many as possible of the 300 supporting messages he got from the general public, the statement reads.


 * Front door, no wait...
 * Police investigating claims Russian spy Sergei Skripal’s £1 bag of porridge was poisoned by daughter Yulia’s ‘female pal’ - David Willetts, The Sun, April 1, 2018
 * Everything Keeps Changing About The Skripal Narrative Except “Russia Definitely Did It” - Caitlin Johnstone, April 3, 2018
 * U.K. is Lying: If Skripal was Poisoned at His Home, The Agent Used against Him Cannot be Nerve Gas - Bassim al-Khalili, Global Research, April 4, 2018

Tracking movement

 * CCTV shows Sergei Skripal drive through Salisbury before poisoning - Daily Mail, March 15, 2018 (timed map inside).
 * ''Police know Sergei Skripal parked on the first floor of Sainsbury's car park at 1.40pm. He and his daughter Yulia visited The Mill pub before arriving at Zizzi at 2.20pm, dining, and leaving at 3.35pm. They were potentially picked up on CCTV on Market Walk at 3.47pm before being found slumped on a bench at 4.15pm. The new footage shows Skripal driving past the Devizes Inn, which is equidistant from Sainsbury's to his home in Christie Miller Road, though it is not known where he had driven from nor when he was poisoned

Car

 * CCTV of Skripal car before attack - MSN.com, March 16, 2018 (video)
 * VIDEO: Military remove Skripal’s car following nerve agent attack - Independent.ie, March 16, 2018
 * Police seek ‘clearer’ picture of movements of Skripal’s car before incident - Evening Express, March 17, 2018

Container for poison?
So far the investigators have no idea how the alleged poison was transported to the supposed site of the poisoning. Speculations range from a suitcase from Moscow to a mini drone.
 * Vil Mirzayanov: "Novichok" can be synthesized or stolen, but few can apply it-BBC Russian, March 16, 2018
 * BBC: ''Есть мужчина и женщина, против которых был направлен точечный маленький снаряд. Как и в чем в этом случае могут содержаться вещества, для того чтобы "Новичок" сработал? Это маленький патрон?
 * VM, robot-translated: ''This is a small cartridge that is inserted - this I already fantasize - into a Nagant, a revolver, it has a device that breaks [the components], and there is a reaction between them. And then it shoots out, as it were, a diluent in the form of gasoline or carbon dioxide, usually from a spray, [in the form of] a spray. On such a principle such a weapon could be made, very simply ... Special precautions are not required, because hermetically enclosed substances, say, in an ampoule, are not dangerous.... You see, the mechanism in this shot device, it is available and from the spring can break both vials, both cartridges. The reaction goes on in seconds. And then it shoots.
 * (A spray or dual spray gun? Apparent point is not murder, rather some harm + tainting with the agent. --Resup (talk) 06:12, 19 March 2018 (UTC)).

Door knob?

 * Russia 'tested using nerve agent which poisoned spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter on door handles' - DailyMail'', April 4, 2018
 * ''Intelligence gathered has indicated that within the past decade, Russia has investigated ways of delivering nerve agents for assassination. Not only this, British intelligence agents have evidence that Russia has explored using Novichok on door handles and ‘everyday objects’ in ‘recent times’. Police investigating the poisoning of the Skripals said the highest amount of nerve agent was on their home’s front door handle.
 * Knobs and Knockers - Craig Murray, April 5, 2018

Investigation

 * Marina Litvinenko: 'Lessons haven't been learned' - BBC, March 11, 2018 (video)
 * + calls for a proper investigation, not political Russia-bashing
 * TEST OF THERESA MAY’S RULE OF LAW, AN APPLICATION FOR HABEAS CORPUS FOR YULIA SKRIPAL - John Helmer, Dances With Bears, March 15, 2018
 * Mystery as mobiles of Russian spy Sergei Skripal and daughter turned off for four hours on day of Salisbury nerve agent attack, The Sun, March 25, 2018
 * Police sources say both Skripals turned off their cell phones between their visit to the cemetery at 9:15 and 13:30 in town centre, two hours before they were found on the bench. Police suspects a clandestine meeting. Father Skripal has travelled to Dubai and Africa for "business meetings" while living in the UK, "raising the prospect he was selling information to criminals and foreign powers."

OPCW
On March 23 a judgement at the high court ruled that the OPCW is allowed to take blood samples of the ("heavily sedated, unable to communicate") Skripals. The judgement contains the first known direct statement of a(n unnamed) Porton Down analyst:


 * Blood samples from Sergei Skripal and Yulia Skripal were analysed and the findings indicated exposure to a nerve agent or related compound. The samples tested positive for the presence of a Novichok class nerve agent or closely related agent.

In the ruling it says


 * The application came before me on 20 March 2018. It was made on an urgent basis. The OPCW wished to collect samples in the near future.

On March 19 the OPCW had been in Salisbury "to take a nerve agent sample" (local paper quoting Boris Johnson).

Porton Down

 * ''See also Porton Down investigates Syria


 * Charles Shoebridge @ShoebridgeC on Twitter, March 8, 2018
 * ''Interestingly, just 10km from the Salisbury site of the now confirmed nerve agent attack on mi6 agent #Skripal is #PortonDown, long the home of the UK’s chemical weapons program, and where the BBC recently confirmed that nerve agents are still being made
 * Inside Britain's secret weapons research facility - Michael Mosley, BBC, June 28, 2016
 * The Elephant In The Room - Craig Murray, March 7, 2018

Exercise Toxic Dagger

 * Exercise TOXIC DAGGER - the sharp end of chemical warfare - Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Gov.UK, February 20, 2018
 * Toxic storm for Royal Marines in major chemical exercise - Royal Navy, March 6, 2018
 * ''Troops from 40 Commando, based at Norton Manor, near Taunton, joined the country’s leading experts in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear warfare to make sure they could cope in a worst-case scenario.

Putin did it!

 * Sergei Skripal: does revenge for treason lie behind harm to ex-spy? - Luke Harding, The Guardian, March 6, 2018
 * Putin will have broken a huge rule of the spy game if he was behind the poisoning of ex-agent Sergei Skripal - Business Insider, March 8, 2018
 * Theresa May set to blame Russia for Salisbury chemical attack on former spy as spooks confirm nerve agent poisoning - The Sun, March 11, 2018
 * Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 87th Executive Council session: statement on the Salisbury incident - Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Peter Wilson CMG, March 13, 2018
 * ''Statement by Peter Wilson, Permanent Representative of the UK to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, on the use of a nerve agent in the UK.
 * Johnson Claims it Was Likely Putin's Decision to Direct Alleged Skripal Attack - Sputnik, March 16, 2018
 * Boris Johnson accuses Putin's Russia of secretly stockpiling Novichok for years as global experts arrive to test Salisbury poison -The Mirror + a different video clip Russia has stockpiled nerve agent over past decade, says Johnson-The Guardian, March 18, 2018, and BBC cut of the clip embedded here.
 * “We actually have evidence within the last 10 years that Russia has not only been investigating the delivery of nerve agents for the purpose of assassination, but has also been creating and stockpiling novichok.” (unclear language, with Mirzayanov book published in 2008/9, does he mean differently sourced and newer evidence? --Mirzayanov account still keeps dripping in little bits but it all about the Soviet program, up to early 1990's)
 * ''"Tomorrow technical experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will come from The Hague to the UK. "We will share the samples with them. They will then be tested by the most reputable possible international laboratories."
 * A powerpoint slideshow the UK used to convince foreign diplomats of Putin's guilt was leaked to Kommersant in late March (PDF, 6 pages - Right mouse click "Save link as...").

... not

 * Луговой прокомментировал сообщения об отравлении Скрипаля в Великобритании (Lugovoy commented on reports about the poisoning of Scripal in the UK)-Interfax, March 6, 2018. Not the most favorite source in the world but similar to Business Insider, above
 * ''There are certain unwritten rules between the special services, mostly observed. Skripal was convicted of state treason, but in 2010 he was pardoned by the Russian president and extradited to Britain in exchange for our allegedly exposed agents. So, there were corresponding agreements between the special services. Pursue the already pardoned - absurdity
 * A Russian expat Valery Morozov (on a video embedded in this BBC  report, 9 March, 2018) believes that those were 'criminals' targeting both Skripal' and Putin; '...there is a rule in modern Russia, the Putin's Russia, you can have any conflict, (but) children are not involved...'(another unwritten rule broken here);... 'they know that whatever happens to any Russian dissident or migrant everybody will blame Putin, and this provides a cover to those criminals'. More from Morozov 1, 2.
 * 'Special opinion' with Leonid Radzikhvsky -Echo Moskvy, March 9, 2018.
 * Radzhikovsky argues that neither Russian state, nor Russian opponents of it or roque elements are behind the poisoning. For the Russian state, low threat level (not done earlier e.g. when he was in prison, allowing to leave, pardon issued by Putin); wrong timing (prior to elections, football championship, when projecting positive image is much more important than say revenge); involving/endangering daughter, which goes against unwritten rules, although she was just about to leave. As for opposition or rogue elements, nobody of right calibre, with enough motivation and accomplishment and resources to do it; the last suitable person like that was Boris Berezovky. Radzhkovsky is a liberal journalist, and a PhD in psychology.
 * Sergei Skripal: Former double agent may have been poisoned with nerve agent over 'freelance' spying, sources say - The Independent, March 9, 2018
 * ''The Russian double agent poisoned in Salisbury may have become a target after using his contacts in the intelligence community to work for private security firms, investigators believe. Sergei Skripal could have come to the attention of certain people in Russia by attempting to “freelance” for companies run by former MI5, MI6 and GCHQ spies, security sources say.
 * UK intelligence may be complicit in Skripal’s poisoning – ex-FSB head - RT, March 13, 2018
 * Russia: Theresa May's comments on Salisbury spy a 'circus show' -Sky News, March 13, 2019
 * Alexander Nekrasoff said it [Novichok]'' was "possessed by about 16 countries in their laboratories". "Why do I know this?" he added. "Because that's how the antidote is developed."
 * The Novichok Story Is Indeed Another Iraqi WMD Scam - Craig Murray, March 14, 2018
 * In recent years, there has been much speculation that a fourth generation of nerve agents, ‘Novichoks’ (newcomer), was developed in Russia, beginning in the 1970s as part of the ‘Foliant’ programme, with the aim of finding agents that would compromise defensive countermeasures. Information on these compounds has been sparse in the public domain, mostly originating from a dissident Russian military chemist, Vil Mirzayanov. No independent confirmation of the structures or the properties of such compounds has been published. (Black, 2016)
 * Unlikely that Vladimir Putin behind Skripal poisoning - Séamus Martin, Irish Times, March 14, 2018
 * Russian Intelligence Veteran Explains What's Wrong With Skripal Case in UK - Sputnik, March 15, 2018
 * Ветеран ГРУ о деле Скрипаля: разведка так не делает(GRU veteran on Skripal case: intelligence services do no to do it like that) -Sputnik Estonia, March 15, 2018
 * Everything they won't tell you about the poisoning of Sergei Skripal. Organized, simplified, cited. - oaklandbrokeland, Redit, March 15, 2018
 * Of A Type Developed By Liars - Craig Murray, March 16, 2018
 * '' The government has never said the nerve agent was made in Russia, or that it can only be made in Russia. The exact formulation “of a type developed by Russia” was used by Theresa May in parliament, used by the UK at the UN Security Council, used by Boris Johnson on the BBC yesterday and, most tellingly of all, “of a type developed by Russia” is the precise phrase used in the joint communique issued by the UK, USA, France and Germany yesterday:
 * ''This use of a military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia, constitutes the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War.
 * ''When the same extremely careful phrasing is never deviated from, you know it is the result of a very delicate Whitehall compromise.
 * On March 19, 2018, change of language on BBC? the agent is of a type first developed by the Russians. Will they stick to that?
 * Russia spy row: UK lab could be poison source, says ambassador(Russia's EU ambassador Chizhov)-BBC, March 18, 2018
 * Duma (MP) responded to the proposal of London to jointly investigate the "case of Skripal"-RIA, March 18, 2018
 * ''London must clarify what it is ready to share with Moscow on the case of Sergei Skripal and Nikolai Glushkov, then Russia will be able to accept or reject the proposal, said First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee for International Affairs Dmitry Novikov.
 * ''Earlier, British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said that Britain would like to work with the Russian side to investigate the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, as well as the circumstances of the death of Nikolai Glushkov, and is ready to give Moscow access to the investigation.
 * Finally, Putin himself chips in, after reading his newspaper.
 * Putin: Moscow does not have poisonous agents claimed by London -TASS, March 18, 2018
 * 'It's nonsense' to think Russia tried to poison Skripals ahead of elections & World Cup - Putin - RT, March 18, 2018
 * Polish Politician: Ex-Spy Skripal Was 'Highly Likely' Poisoned by CIA - Sputnik, March 31, 2018

Russia's response

 * Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answer to a question from the Vietnamese and Japanese media, Moscow, March 15, 2018
 * Aide-memoire to clarify the state of affairs as regards the so-called ‘Skripal case’ - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, March 21, 2018
 * Russia to Britain - Prove your own spies did not poison Skripal - Reuters, March 28, 2018

US response

 * 'Trump Weighs Expulsion of Russian Envoys Over U.K. Attack' -Bloomberg News, March 24, 2018
 * (Well, hopefully not, Russia's guilt is at least not established, and likely it is done by enemies of Russia, or enemies of Putin, not by Russia or by Putin. --Resup (talk) 16:38, 24 March 2018 (UTC))

Attack Russia now!

 * UK 'could send more troops and jets to Russia's border' after ex-spy poisoned - Mirror, March 9, 2018
 * Theresa May 'to announce on Monday' what sanctions she will take against Russia - The Telegraph, March 9, 2018
 * ''The Prime Minister is expecting to receive confirmation from the Ministry of Defence’s Porton Down laboratory over the weekend that Russia was, beyond reasonable doubt, the source of the nerve agent used in the attempted murder of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.
 * ''...last Sunday’s attack, which also left Det Serg Nick Bailey in hospital after he visited Mr Skripal’s house.
 * Noted: (1) for the 'beyond doubt', they need to have a matching sample's 'signature' from a Russian stockpile, and that's not likely; (2) for 'expecting to receive', it needs to be received (draft form/summary/etc.) (3)the article is written by political editors, and placed in politics section--Resup (talk)19:46, 10 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Theresa May threatens military and economic retaliation against Russia if Vladimir Putin is proven to be behind poisoned spy attack - The Sun, March 10, 2018
 * ''Military scientists at Porton Down expect to be able to soon say beyond any doubt that the rare poison was devised in the SVR Russian foreign spy service’s notorious Yasenevo labs in Moscow.
 * ''One senior minister told The Sun: “We are in a new Cold War with Russia that is beginning to get hot. “This is all about debilitating the West, so we have to reverse the psychology and make Putin look weak.”
 * Noted: all info on Yasenevo is from Soviet era, with information leaked to the West following USSR collapse. Nobody has a real clue what's going on there now. How and why one can predict what a truly scientific investigation unbiased by politics will show, before it is completed? How can they determine it is Russian chemicals, and not say Ukrainian, Western, or Middle Eastern, without (most likely) having Russian and others' samples? Even if the report does show what's predicted, it should be open to scientific scrutiny (as opposed to politically driven propaganda in media, forcing hand of the government)--Resup (talk) 06:21, 11 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Australia, Poland and Japan could join England in World Cup boycott - Daily Mail, March 10, 2018
 * ''Mr Tugendhat said ministers should urge allies to join a coordinated boycott of the World Cup, as part of a wider package of reprisals against the Putin regime.
 * Мэй обвинила Россию в причастности к отравлению экс-полковника ГРУ Скрипаля и его дочери - TASS, March 12, 2018
 * "Today the Foreign Minister [of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson] called the Russian ambassador and demanded from him that Russia provide a full report and a full disclosure of the program of nerve agents "Novice"  (=???) to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, "said May," He also asked for an answer until the end of tomorrow. " 
 * Russian spy: Highly likely Moscow behind attack, says Theresa May - BBC, March 12, 2018
 * '' "Should there be no credible response, we will conclude that this action amounts to an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom."
 * ''Mrs May told MPs the positive identification of this chemical agent (Novichok/Novice) was made by experts at the UK's Porton Down laboratory. She said Russia has previously produced the agent and would still be capable of doing so.
 * MPs call for Kremlin-funded Russia Today to be taken off air - Daily Mail, March 12, 2018
 * Tillerson: Ex-spy's poisoning 'clearly came from Russia - The Hill, March 12, 2018
 * ''“From Ukraine to Syria — and now the United Kingdom — Russia continues to be an irresponsible force of instability in the world, acting with open disregard for the sovereignty of other states and the life of their citizens,” Tillerson said.
 * Rex Tillerson says Russia is 'clearly' behind spy poisoning and 'must face serious consequences' - Evening Standard, March 12, 2018
 * Ex-spy Skripal poisoning 'clearly came from Russia' & 'will trigger response' – Tillerson - RT, March 12, 2018
 * 13 March, 2018. RAF ZH106 (aka Magic81, an AWACS; video of) is reported over Poland, said to be rare. US AF RQ-4 over Ukraine (said to be not rare).
 * Russian spy: UK government response going to plan so far - John Pienaar, BBC News, March 16, 2018
 * ''Among senior ministers and officials, there's quiet satisfaction that the Russia crisis seems to be going according to plan. Maybe even better. According to one senior government source, "it's gone at least as well as we'd hoped".

Analysis

 * Who Are The Sloppy Assassins? - Ronald Thomas West, March 7, 2018
 * The Skripal Incident-Another Anti-Russian Provocation - Christopher Black, New Eastern Outlook, March 9, 2018
 * Poisioned British-Russian Double-Agent Has Links To Clinton Campaign - Moon of Alabama, March 8, 2018
 * ''If there is a connection between the dossier and Skripal, which seems very likely to me, then there are a number of people and organizations with potential motives to kill him. Lots of shady folks and officials on both sides of the Atlantic were involved in creating and running the anti-Trump/anti-Russia campaign. There are several investigations and some very dirty laundry might one day come to light. Removing Skripal while putting the blame on Russia looks like a convenient way to get rid of a potential witness.
 * “We hates Putin…we hates him forever…”: the Guardian’s fresh ravings on Russia reflects West’s tipping point into new levels of dangerous insanity - Catte, OffGuardian, March 10, 2018
 * ''Terrifying because it shows that zealotry and pure xenophobia are driving out every other consideration. These articles are barely coherent any more. They are clearly written by people who have lost even the ambition toward perspective. They are little more than distilled Hate. Hate for an individual, hate for a culture, hate for an entire nation, hate that doesn’t even try to pretend it has higher motives than hate itself any more.
 * MI5 Poisons Another Russian Asset to Smear Putin in Ongoing Propaganda War - Joe Quinn, Sott.net, March 6, 2018
 * Skripal's Poisoning - The West's Simple & Effective Way of Tainting Putin - Yulia Vityazeva, News Front via StalkerZone, March 9, 2018
 * Russian Spy Poison Attack: Is Nord Stream 2 the Bigger Target? - Finian Cunningham, Strategic Culture, March 10, 2018
 * ''If that stands up as a motive for the latest attempt to cleave EU-Russian relations, then our focus on the likely perpetrators shifts to the following: American state agents, possibly working with British and Eastern European accomplices, in trying to kill Sergei Skripal and his daughter, with the purpose of blackballing Moscow.
 * The Skripal Case: an open thread, Off Guardian, March 11, 2018
 * We are opening this thread as a place for posting links to aspects of the merging story. This is going to be particularly useful as the narrative develops and changes. Today’s headlines might slip down the Memory Hole tomorrow. So documenting them as they arise may be useful.
 * The Skripal Affair - by "for-the-record" via Anatoly Karlin, Unz Review, March 12, 2018
 * Theresa May Makes A "45 Minutes" Claim - Moon of Alabama, March 12, 2018
 * Skripal case: Theresa May now demands Russia prove itself innocent - Alexander Mercouris, The Duran, March 12, 2018
 * ''British government lacking evidence of Russian guilt reverses the burden of proof
 * Spygate: If Inferential Guessing Games Are the New Normal, Let’s Talk About Ukraine - Adam Garrie, Eurasia Future, March 13, 2018
 * Skripal crisis: Russia rejects UK ultimatum; demands chemical samples - Alexander Mercouris, The Duran, March 13, 2018
 * The Strange Case of the Russian Spy Poisoning - James O’Neill, Consortium News, March 13, 2018
 * FOURTEEN AND A HALF CERTAINTIES ABOUT THE CASE OF SERGEI SKRIPAL - John Helmer, Dances With Bears, March 13, 2018
 * The UK government is manufacturing its nerve agent case for ‘action’ on Russia - Nafeez Ahmed, INSURGE intelligence, March 14, 2018
 * Theresa May's 'Novichok' Claims Fall Apart - Moon of Alabama, March 14, 2018
 * Russian Deaths An MI6 False Flag - Left Hook by Dean Henderson, March 14, 2018
 * The British Government's 'Novichok' Drama Was Written By Whom?, Moon of Alabama, March 16, 2018
 * I don’t know who attacked Sergei Skripal, but my work with Litvinenko makes me think that we’re also to blame - Ivor Gaber, The Independent, March 17 2018
 * The curious case of the Salisbury poisonings - natsouth, March 17 2018
 * Perfidious Albion: The Fatally Wounded British Beast Lashes Out - Barbara Boyd, Lyndon LaRouche PAC, March 18 2018
 * A Curious Incident - Sushi for the Saker Blog, March 18, 2018 (part 2)
 * OPCW Likely to Rubber-Stamp UK Claim About Skripal Poisoning - Stephen Lendman, Russia Insider, March 19, 2018
 * 'OPCW has a very poor Syria record (where it accepted second hand samples from al-Qaeda), and is nonplussed about Russia not receiving a sample as required by the Chemical Weapons Convention which established it.
 * "No Patients Have Experienced Symptoms Of Nerve Agent Poisoning In Salisbury", Moon of Alabama, March 20, 2018
 * Four days to declare a Cold War - Thierry Meyssan, Voltaire Network, March 20, 2018 (Unz Review)
 * 30 Questions That Journalists Should be Asking About the Skripal Case - Rob Slane, The BlogMire, March 20, 2018
 * Truth Is The First Casualty In War. Especially In Cold War. - Caitlin Johnstone, March 21, 2018
 * 30 Questions Journalists Should Be Asking About Skripal Case - Rob Slane, Russia Insider, March 21, 2018
 * Murky waters: The attack on Sergei Skripal, the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam, and the ‘Steele dossier’ - Gregory R. Copley, World Tribune, March 21, 2018
 * Taking measures - natsouth, March 24 2018
 * The alleged Poisoning of Sergey and Yuliya Skripal - John Delacour, March 24, 2018
 * The Skripal Poisonings and the Ongoing Vilification of Putin - Gary Leupp, Counter PunchMarch 28, 2018
 * Skripal Case – The Big Picture - J.Hawk, SouthFront, March 29, 2018
 * Reflections On The Skripal Story - Patrick Armstrong, On March 30, 2018
 * Op-Ed: Serious questions remain about Russian guilt in Skripal attack - Ken Hanly, Digital Journal, March 31, 2018