Russia’s government claimed Thursday morning that a former Russian spy that British authorities say was poisoned with a nerve agent in the United Kingdom on Sunday was actually a British spy working for the country’s MI6 intelligence bureau.
In a tweet from the Russian Embassy in London, the country’s government claimed that Sergei Skripal, who was saved from a poisoning attempt alongside his daughter over the weekend, “was actually a British spy, working for MI6.”
The embassy offered no evidence to support the claim. Scotland Yard announced this week that the poisoning is being treated as a “major incident” and confirmed that the two were poisoned with a nerve agent, declining to name the specific type used.
“This is being treated as a major incident involving attempted murder by administration of a nerve agent,” said Mark Rowley, Britain’s top police official for counterterrorism and international security.
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Skripal was one of four Russians exchanged for 10 “sleeper” agents placed by the Russian government in the U.S. in 2010. In 2006, he was sentenced to 13 years in jail for identifying other Russian agents operating around Europe to MI6.
Russia’s government has dismissed claims that it was involved as speculation meant to hurt Russia’s ties with the U.K.
“Before it was clear what happened, the traditional speculation was being put about,” said Martin Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The Hill has reached out to the British and Russian embassies for comment.