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UK Gives Russia Until Midnight to Explain Use of Novichok Nerve Agent

posted by martyb on Tuesday March 13 2018, @10:57PM   Printer-friendly
from the or-else? dept.

takyon writes:

The UK says that a Soviet-developed Novichok nerve agent was used against Sergei Skripal, his daughter, and bystanders, and has given Russia "until midnight tonight" to explain how it came to be used:

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Tuesday that Russia has "until midnight tonight" to explain how a lethal Novichok nerve agent that was developed in Russia came to be used on U.K. soil. Johnson said Britain is preparing to take "commensurate but robust" action.

Reiterating British Prime Minister Theresa May's statement that it was "highly likely" Russia was to blame for the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, Johnson said, "the use of this nerve agent would represent the first use of nerve agents on the continent of Europe since the Second World War."

Meanwhile, police are probing the death of a Russian exile living in London:

Nikolai Glushkov, a Russian exile who was a close friend of a noted critic of President Vladimir Putin, has died from an "unexplained" cause in London, police say. The Metropolitan Police says that its counter-terrorism unit is handling the case "because of associations that the man is believed to have had."

Glushkov, 68, was a close friend of former Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a prominent critic of the Kremlin who was found dead in 2013. At the time, an inquiry found he had hanged himself — but Glushkov publicly disputed the idea that his friend and former business ally would have killed himself.

As British media began reporting Glushkov's death, the police issued a statement saying, "An investigation is underway following the death of a man in his 60s in Kingston borough."

Previously: Former Russian Spy Exposed to "Unknown Substance" in Salisbury, England
Use of Nerve Agent Confirmed in Skripal Assassination Attempt

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  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by takyon on Tuesday March 13 2018, @11:06PM (9 children)

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Tuesday March 13 2018, @11:06PM (#652042) Journal

    Russia will not respond to UK's midnight ultimatum 'until it is given nerve agent samples' [independent.co.uk]

    Russian spy: Russia demands nerve agent sample from UK [bbc.com]

    As Putin’s Opponents Flocked to London, His Spies Followed [nytimes.com]

    Russian spy latest: Sergei Skripal is a 'traitor', says swapped agent Anna Chapman [independent.co.uk]

    Russian spy: State TV anchor warns 'traitors' [bbc.com]

    Russian state TV accuses UK of plotting spy attack [theguardian.com]

    Russian broadcaster RT could be forced off UK airwaves [theguardian.com]

    BBC Today programme cuts off Russian MP interview after he compares UK to Hitler [independent.co.uk]

    Spy poisoning: why Putin may have engineered gruesome calling card [theguardian.com]

    There are many theories. The most obvious answer is Sunday’s presidential election. True, Putin is guaranteed to win. He has scarcely bothered campaigning. But the Kremlin remains worried about turnout, amid widespread voter apathy and calls from Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition politician, to boycott the vote. The authorities want to the poll to look authentic, even if it isn’t.

    Over the next few days, state TV channels will pump out this message: Moscow is again the victim of a western conspiracy. Russia under siege is a favourite Kremlin theme. Conflicts with the west can bear some fruit: Putin has maintained the bump in his nominal popularity rating after his annexation of Crimea, despite western condemnation and sanctions. The wave of patriotism that followed also split the Russian opposition.

    So a row with London can do Putin no harm, especially among voters who share his uncompromising nationalist worldview and his smouldering sense of victimhood.

    Sergei Skripal and the long history of assassination attempts abroad [theconversation.com]

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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by c0lo on Wednesday March 14 2018, @01:10AM (7 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 14 2018, @01:10AM (#652096) Journal

    Meanwhile:
    1. White House won’t blame Russia for attack on former spy, but Rex Tillerson will [vice.com]...
    2. .. except that Rex Tilleson and his aide Steve Goldstein are no more in US politics [apnews.com], being just fired.

    Possible UK actions [vice.com]:

    • retreat from FIFA world cup in Russia - boo-bloody-hooo
    • revoking RT license to broadcast in UK (and all the 3 viewers won't give a shit)
    • target Russian money in UK. No, really? Conservatives doing so? What do they want, less money spent in UK with the actual Brexit moment approaching?
    • attempting to cut Russia banks from the SWIFT system - SWIFT being Belgium-based, it will be a matter of EU - which is quite hooked on the Russian gas. Yeah, right.
    • push for a boost in NATO presence in East Europe. With US and EU reluctant to play political adventurism against Putin, I don't think there'll be overwhelming support. Besides, last time they tried, Crimea and eastern Ukraine happened - Putin is not that afraid to play rough. So, NATO will do what? Use Turkey and increase Erdogan legitimacy?

    My bet? UK will punish Russia using harsh language! ("Aliens" reference).

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford

    • (Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Wednesday March 14 2018, @07:21AM

      by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Wednesday March 14 2018, @07:21AM (#652194) Homepage Journal

      If you figured out that #2 happened because of #1, you're a lot smarter than Low I.Q. Dopey Rex. #2 happens. But I thank him!

    • (Score: 2) by driverless on Wednesday March 14 2018, @07:38AM (1 child)

      by driverless (4770) on Wednesday March 14 2018, @07:38AM (#652201)

      My bet? UK will punish Russia using harsh language! ("Aliens" reference).

      25% punitive tax on borscht imports is my bet, "that'll show 'em we're serious".

      • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday March 14 2018, @07:54AM

        by FatPhil (863) <{pc-soylent} {at} {asdf.fi}> on Wednesday March 14 2018, @07:54AM (#652211) Homepage
        A ban on Russkiy Standart. We don't need that, we've got our local fake-russian "Smirnoff" (and Absolut from friendly Sweden)
        --
        Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves

    • (Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday March 14 2018, @09:07AM (2 children)

      by Bot (3902) on Wednesday March 14 2018, @09:07AM (#652235) Journal

      > Possible UK actions [vice.com]:

      > retreat from FIFA world cup in Russia - boo-bloody-hooo

      This raises the distinct possibility that Italians killed that spy so that UK gets out the FIFA cup and Italy team gets a wildcard.

      --
      Account abandoned.

      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday March 14 2018, @10:59AM (1 child)

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 14 2018, @10:59AM (#652274) Journal

        What? Italy didn't qualify?

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford

        • (Score: 2) by r1348 on Wednesday March 14 2018, @09:32PM

          by r1348 (5988) on Wednesday March 14 2018, @09:32PM (#652609)

          Yeah, and totally had it coming.

          An Italian.

    • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday March 14 2018, @06:11PM

      by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday March 14 2018, @06:11PM (#652532) Journal

      retreat from FIFA world cup in Russia - boo-bloody-hooo

      Uhh....can we have their spot? We're so fine with Russia half our executive administration is willing to lie under oath about them for some totally benign reason.

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by c0lo on Wednesday March 14 2018, @01:11PM

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 14 2018, @01:11PM (#652347) Journal

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russian-spy-poisoning-britain-s-theresa-may-plans-retaliation-n856471 [nbcnews.com]

    LONDON — Britain is to expel 23 Russian diplomats operating as undeclared intelligence officers after Moscow ignored a midnight deadline to explain how its nerve agent was used in the attempted assassination of a former double agent on U.K. soil.
    ...
      Britain earlier called for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting in relation to the incident.

            The UK has called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to update Council members on the investigation into the nerve agent attack in Salisbury. pic.twitter.com/jFQ2HA4JV0
            — Foreign Office (@foreignoffice) March 14, 2018

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford