British Prime Minister Theresa May declared Wednesday Russia is “culpable” for the nerve agent attack on a former double agent and his daughter and announced Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats.
“There is no alternative conclusion, other than that the Russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of Mr. [Sergei] Skripal and his daughter, and for threatening the lives of other British citizens in Salisbury,” May said in an address before the House of Commons.
May said the attack “represents an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom.”
In addition to the expulsion of Russian diplomats, May said Britain will also “freeze Russian state assets wherever we have the evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents.”
BREAKING: British PM May: 23 undeclared Russian intel officers being expelled in response to Skripal nerve agent attack. https://t.co/DepKUPF2JB pic.twitter.com/ovr0Unu4SW
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 14, 2018
Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury, England, on March 4.
It was determined the father and daughter were poisoned with a “military-grade nerve agent of the type developed by Russia.”
Sergei and Yulia Skripal remain hospitalized following the attack.
May said in an address to Parliament on Monday the government concluded it was “highly likely” Russia was behind the attack, but also posed two other alternatives.
“Either this was a direct act by the Russian state against our country or the Russian government lost control of its potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others,” she said.
May then set a deadline of midnight Tuesday for Moscow to explain how Skripal and his daughter were poisoned.
The British prime minister said in her address Wednesday the Russians expelled from the United Kingdom were “identified as undeclared intelligence officers.” They have a week to leave the country.
Moscow has denied involvement in the poison attack. The Russian Embassy in London said the expulsion of their diplomats indicates a sharp decline in relations between the Russia and the United Kingdom.
“We consider this hostile action as totally unacceptable, unjustified and shortsighted,” the Russian Embassy said in a statement. “All the responsibility for the deterioration of the Russia-UK relationship lies with the current political leadership of Britain.”
