One of the most impacting news worldwide is the attack on former GRU officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury on March 4, 2018. This attack was characterized as an attack on UK soveriegnty in a joint statement issued by Theresa May, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel and Donald Trump.
Among the statements is the following:
“We share the UK assessment that there is no plausible alternative explanation, and note that Russia’s failure to address the legitimate request by the UK government further underlines its responsibility.”
So Russia is being accused because there is no alternative, there is no physical proof but it still is Russia.
I have never been a fan of Russia, even though I would want to go to the Footbal World Cup this summer, but frankly I think while it could have been Russia the proof is not quite enough unless the authorities are holding back evidence from the public.
OK, supposedly the agent used is Novichoks of which the following is said:
"One of the group of chemicals known as Novichoks - A-230 - is reportedly five to eight times more toxic than VX nerve agent."
"This is a more dangerous and sophisticated agent than sarin or VX and is harder to identify," says Professor Gary Stephens, a pharmacology expert at the University of Reading.
VX agent was the chemical used to kill the half-brother of Kim Jong-un last year, according to the US.
See that 5 to 8 times more toxic and harder to identify, so I have a couple of questions, why isn’t anyone dead, OK they might die but if it is so lethal why wasn’t death close to instant like in the case of Kim Jong Nam, who died in 15 minutes? It is hard to identify so how are they sure? Even if it is this agent, how do they know it is Russian? Can only Russia produce this toxin? Skripal was in prison in Russia for several years before being swapped for a Russian spy, why wasn’t he killed back then, when it would not have caused any media or political uproar?
I am not close to trying to defend Russia just that this sounds kind of far fetched to me. If the Russians are the only one’s who produce this, wouldn’t it be smarter to use something not so visibly Russian? And why do it now, I can see no possible reason now that wasn’t present 10 years ago when he was in a Russian prison. Maybe it was the Russians but if so, I think the public has to know the whole story behind it, because right now it doesn’t add up to me.