In Britain’s Russian spy mystery, clues point to Moscow
But disentangling the Russian state from its criminal freelancers may prove hard—and responding harder still
WHEN Sergei Skripal left Russia in 2010, his fate seemed to have taken a bright turn. As part of a prisoner exchange with Britain and America, the MI6 double agent swapped a Russian jail cell for suburban life in Wiltshire. Having been pardoned in Moscow and debriefed in London, he appeared destined for a quiet retirement. But on March 5th he and his daughter, Yulia, were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury. As we went to press they lay in a critical condition, the victims of what police identified as a nerve agent. A police officer among the first to attend the scene was also hospitalised.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Whodunnit?”
Britain March 10th 2018
- In Britain’s Russian spy mystery, clues point to Moscow
- The EU rejects Theresa May’s “pick ’n’ mix” Brexit plan
- Saudi Arabia launches a charm offensive in Britain
- Britain’s EU migrants get a first chance to vote since the referendum
- Rough sleeping in England has more than doubled
- Is inequality rising or falling?
- British athletes may have won thanks to drugs, a report suggests
- It could happen in Britain
From the March 10th 2018 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Britain
London’s pie-and-mash shops are disappearing
Blame higher rents and changing tastes
Britain’s family courts are opening up to reporters
Transparency and privacy can work together
Has the Royal Navy become too timid?
A new paper examines how its culture has changed
A plan to reorganise local government in England runs into opposition
Turkeys vote against Christmas
David Lammy’s plan to shake up Britain’s Foreign Office
Diplomats will be tasked with growing the economy and cutting migration