We've breaking news from Britain about an hour ago. Sergey Skripal's daughter, Yulia, who went missing in Salisbury in early March together with her father, showed up on TV and made her first statement since she's vanished.
Our correspondent Alexander Khabarov is now live from Britain.
- Alexander, hello. So, what did Yulia say and, more importantly, how did she do that?
- Good evening, Ernest. Indeed, it's a scoop.
Yulia showed up in a small garden. Reuters reports that the video was made somewhere in London where Yulia is under the sway of Britain's security services protecting her from only God knows against whom. What was important in the text that Yulia obviously read was that she wouldn't use the services of the Russian diplomatic mission to Great Britain which have been touting for a meeting with her over the past months. Let's listen to what she said.
Yulia Skripal: "I ask that everyone respects the personal life my father and I. We need time to recover and come to terms with everything that has happened. I’m grateful for the offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy. But at the moment I'm not ready and do not wish to use their services".
It's noteworthy that the Russian embassy's diplomats asked the British government to let them meet with Yulia Skripal not out of curiosity, but because it comes under international obligations assumed by London. The thing is that Russian diplomats know nothing of Yulia's state. The video shows that Yulia is quite fine. Yet, Russian representatives weren't present at the interview. Thus, we can't judge if the video was made of her own free will or under pressure.
So, some questions remain open. In addition, it's noteworthy that Yulia was reading a prepared text. Reuters reports that it received two texts, in Russian and in English, signed by Yulia Skripal. Judging from the structure of the sentences, the text seems to have first been written in English, and then translated into Russian. This is only a guess, of course. The text looks pretty much the same as the statement made by Scotland Yard on behalf of Yulia, as if it was her words and opinion. That statement that was published on Scotland Yard's website also said that Yulia refused to meet with Russian diplomats. But the new statement revealed new facts that, for example, Yulia spent 20 days in a coma, as well as her intention to return to Russia in future. Let's listen to what she said.
Yulia Skripal: "My life has been turned upside down as I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally. I'm taking it one day at a time and want to help care for my dad until he has fully recovered. In the longer term, I hope to return home to my country".
- Sasha, thanks. Our correspondent Alexander Khabarov told us about the statement made by Yulia Skripal today.
It's noteworthy that Skripal's statement came immediately after the Russian foreign ministry's spokeswoman assumed that the Skripals were in custody, deprived of the right to contact the rest of the world.
Maria Zakharova, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson: "For two months now, Russia has been denied access to the Russian citizens. That's a fact. Secondly, Russian citizens are being kept in Great Britain, their location and state unknown, and deprived of the right to contact the rest of the world".
I remind you that nothing was known of the Skripals' fate and location for a long time. It was impossible either to confirm or check the statement by the British authorities that the Skripals were hospitalized, underwent treatment, and were discharged from hospital as they again disappeared from the public space. Only the UK security services seem to know what's happened to them over the past three months.
Today's statement made by Russian citizen Yulia Skripal didn't clarify her fate or provide reassurance in it.
