Yulia Skripal released a public statement for the first time since she and her father were poisoned by a military-grade nerve agent on March 4. “I woke up over a week ago now and am glad to say my strength is growing daily,” Skripal said in the statement, which was released by the Metropolitan Police. “I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received.” Skripal thanked the “people of Salisbury” and her doctors for their help, the Washington Post reports. She went on to say the attack was “disorienting” and asked for her privacy to be respected.
Authorities believe Skripal and her father, Sergei, were poisoned by Novichok, which officials say was smeared on the doorknob of their home in Salisbury, England. The toxin was invented by Soviet scientists during the Cold War. It is fatal in small doses and is absorbed through the skin. The Skripals were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury last month. British authorities quickly blamed Russia, because Sergei Skripal was a former Russian double agent who provided tips and information to Britains MI5 intelligence service. He was caught and put in prison in Russia in 2006, but he was later released as part of a spy swap and moved to Britain. Though Russia has denied any involvement, Britain and many Western allies—including the U.S., which closed the Russian Consulate in Seattle in response—have expelled more than 150 Russian officials in retaliation for the alleged attack.
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