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Yulia Skripal says 'everyone is getting better', Russian TV reports Yulia Skripal says she is recovering but disoriented
(about 1 hour later)
A relative of the poisoned former double agent Sergei Skripal has said she has spoken by phone with his daughter, Yulia, who was making her first contact with the outside world since falling into a coma after the 4 March nerve agent attack. Yulia Skripal has said she is recovering from the nerve agent attack on her and her father, Sergei, and thanked the people of Salisbury for their support, but said she is feeling disoriented.
“She said everything is fine and she is doing OK,” Viktoria Skripal told the Guardian by telephone from Moscow. “That’s all I’m going to say.” The first public words from either of the Skripals since the attack on 4 March came after Sergei’s niece, Viktoria, claimed from Moscow that Yulia had told her that both she and her father were getting better.
Viktoria Skripal then said a transcript of their phone call would soon be released by Russian news agencies. “Even in English,” she added. The audio recording of the conversation, which was made by Viktoria despite not knowing it was Yulia calling her when she picked up the phone, was later played on a talk show on the Russian state-run television station Russia-1. In a statement issued by the Metropolitan police, Yulia, 33, said: “I woke up over a week ago now and am glad to say my strength is growing daily. I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received.
In remarks carried by Russian television, Yulia Skripal purportedly told her relative that “everything is fine, everything is fixable, everyone is getting better”, Reuters reported. “I have many people to thank for my recovery and would especially like to mention the people of Salisbury that came to my aid when my father and I were incapacitated. Further than that, I would like to thank the staff at Salisbury district hospital for their care and professionalism.
When asked about her father’s condition, Yulia Skripal reportedly said “everything is fine, he is resting, sleeping”.
The Metropolitan police subsequently put out a statement from Yulia, apparently in response to the Russian television report.
“I woke up over a week ago now and am glad to say my strength is growing daily,” she is reported as saying in the statement. “I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received.
“I have many people to thank for my recovery and would especially like to mention the people of Salisbury that came to my aid when my father and I were incapacitated. Further than that, I would like to thank the staff at Salisbury District Hospital for their care and professionalism.
“I am sure you appreciate that the entire episode is somewhat disorientating, and I hope that you’ll respect my privacy and that of my family during the period of my convalescence.”“I am sure you appreciate that the entire episode is somewhat disorientating, and I hope that you’ll respect my privacy and that of my family during the period of my convalescence.”
In Moscow Viktoria Skripal, the daughter of Sergei’s late brother, has said she plans to go to London in the coming days to try to bring Yulia back to Russia. The statement was issued just hours after Viktoria said she had spoken by phone to Yulia.
On Wednesday evening, Viktoria Skripal said she had applied for a British visa and coordinated her trip with the Russian embassy in London. She said she expected Alexander Yakovenko, the Russian ambassador, to meet her, and said he had helped her apply for a passport. “She said everything is fine and she is doing OK,” Viktoria Skripal told the Guardian by telephone from Moscow. “That’s all I’m going to say.”
Viktoria Skripal then said a transcript of their phone call would soon be released by Russian news agencies. “Even in English,” she added. The audio recording of the conversation, which was made by Viktoria despite not knowing it was Yulia calling her when she picked up the phone, was later played on a talkshow on the Russian state-run television station Russia-1.
In remarks carried by Russian television, a voice claimed to be that of Yulia told her relative that “everything’s OK, everything can be solved, everything can be healed”.
When asked about her father’s condition, she said: “Everything’s OK, he’s resting now, he’s sleeping. Everyone’s health is OK. No one has had any irreversible [harm].”
She appeared to turn down a visit from her cousin, citing the commotion around the case.
In the phone conversation, the voice attributed to Viktoria said she hoped to receive a visa on Friday and fly to the UK on Monday.“Vika, nobody will give you a visa,” came the reply. Viktoria agreed, but pushed on. “If they give it, I need you to tell me whether I can visit you or not, tell me that I can,” she said.The woman said to be Yulia demurred. “I think no, there is such a situation now, we’ll sort it out later,” she said. She added: “Later, we will get it all sorted later, everything’s fine, we’ll see later.”
Alexander Yakovenko, the Russian ambassador to the UK, was asked if the phone conversation was genuine, at a press conference on Thursday. He did not directly reply but said only that Russia had asked Britain questions about the Skripals but had not had answers.
Viktoria Skripal, the daughter of Sergei’s late brother, has said she plans to go to London in the coming days to try to bring Yulia back to Russia.
On Wednesday evening, Viktoria Skripal said she had applied for a British visa and coordinated her trip with the Russian embassy in London. She said she expected Yakovenko to meet her, and said he had helped her apply for a passport.
“At the moment, I have just one goal: fly there and get Yulia, at the very least Yulia,” she said on the Russia-1 state news station. Sergei Skripal’s foreign citizenship made his situation “more complicated”, she said.“At the moment, I have just one goal: fly there and get Yulia, at the very least Yulia,” she said on the Russia-1 state news station. Sergei Skripal’s foreign citizenship made his situation “more complicated”, she said.
Viktoria Skripal appeared on several Russian talkshows on Wednesday, including one with Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, both accused in the 2006 poisoning of the former spy Alexander Litvinenko in London.Viktoria Skripal appeared on several Russian talkshows on Wednesday, including one with Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, both accused in the 2006 poisoning of the former spy Alexander Litvinenko in London.
Last week, Salisbury NHS foundation trust said Yulia Skipral, 33, was no longer in a critical condition, describing her medical state as stable. Last week, Salisbury NHS foundation trust said Yulia was no longer in a critical condition, describing her medical state as stable.
Her father’s condition was described by the hospital as still critical but stable. Sergei Skripal, 66, is believed to have been the main target of the attack.Her father’s condition was described by the hospital as still critical but stable. Sergei Skripal, 66, is believed to have been the main target of the attack.
NHS England said on Thursday that its policy was only to give an update on the Skripals’ condition when there had been a “significant” change. NHS England said on Thursday that its policy was only to give an update on the Skripals’ condition when there had been a significant change.
If Mr Skripal is “fine”, it will be a remarkable turnaround from the previous detailed prognosis that emerged. If Sergei Skripal is “fine”, it would be a remarkable turnaround from the previous detailed prognosis that emerged.
A high court judgement related to the case and published following a hearing across 20, 21 and 22 March revealed that both Skripals were heavily sedated. A high court judgment related to the case and published following a hearing on 20, 21 and 22 March revealed that both Skripals were heavily sedated.
“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,” the judgment said.“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,” the judgment said.
Sergei SkripalSergei Skripal
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