Russia Claims Right to Retaliate Against UK Sanctions

Russia reserves the right to take measures in response to sanctions imposed by London against the Main Directorate of the Armed Forces General Staff (GRU), Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated today.

The Russian side does not recognize the illegitimate sanctions applied on invented pretexts and outside the framework of the UN Security Council, and reserves the right to take retaliatory measures, the diplomat affirmed.

The United Kingdom imposed new restrictions this Thursday against the Military Intelligence Service, three of its employees, and eight other Russian military cyber intelligence officers as part of a new sanctions package.

Spokeswoman Recalls Skripal Case

Simultaneously, Zakharova reminded the British that Russia is very keenly awaiting the moment when the world can see former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, poisoned with a nerve agent in 2018.

In March 2018, Russian Sergei Skripal, a former Military Intelligence officer, and his daughter Yulia, were found unconscious near a shopping center in the British city of Salisbury. The UK claimed the two were poisoned with a Novichok-class nerve agent, allegedly developed by Russian chemists. Following the incident, both were hospitalized and, after being discharged, their subsequent whereabouts have not been made public.

According to British police, the substance used to poison the Skripals led to the accidental poisoning of two more people in the city of Amesbury, one of whom died.

Russia Denies Involvement, Seeks Cooperation

Moscow has categorically denied any involvement in the poisonings. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the Skripal case was falling apart before our eyes due to the lack of evidence of Russia's guilt.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has sent dozens of diplomatic notes to the British Foreign Office, demanding access for the Russian side to the investigation and to those two Russian citizens, and has also directed proposals for cooperation, particularly for a joint investigation.