Is there a thread about the poisoning of Skripal? [title edited by MNHQ]

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I've not seen a thread about it at all, but surely there must be?

Further to what was mentioned upthread, it was Heidi Blake of Buzzfeed investigations that was interviewed on World at One on R4 yesterday. What she said was really interesting. If you google her, Buzzfeed have lots of information on the Russian connection.

Couple that with the fact that Russian state TV has issued a not so subtle warning to other 'traitors', I don't think it's going to take Poirot to work out who did this.

Could they be jumping on a bandwagon?

Patriarchy latency is dependant on route of administration isn't it? It seems that if it was administered transdermally then the time to show symptoms can be much longer, perhaps as long as a few hours, where as if the substance were inhaled the response rate is much much faster. Does this seem correct to you?

Kitten

True. I'm no medical expert but I know that standard nerve agents are designed to act quickly. There is little military benefit to an agent that takes hours to take effect.

Persistent agents are designed to deny equipment or areas (bridges, key terrain etc) while non-persistent agents generally precede an imminent attack. You slime the enemy, then quickly move forwards wearing your protective equipment while they are still dealing with their causalities. If you want to read about chemical weapons being used effectively in conventional warfare then the Iran-Iraq war (80-88) is a pretty good example of these kind of techniques.

A nerve agent taking an hour or so to take effect doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard of.

They think maybe a package arrived at his house.

Nerve agents can act fast or slower depending on type and administration.

Good article here about nerve agents www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/russian-spy-latest-updates-sergei-skripal-home-nerve-agent-poisoning-salisbury-police-officer-nick-a8248196.html

I'm sorry if I've missed this but why did the police officer go to the house if the first place??

That's one of the details we don't know yet Snowiest.

Ah, I suppose that's a massive missing bit of info then...

We were watching a programme about Putin last night. He comes across as a power crazed jumped up 'I was so important as an East German Spy' idiot. Albeit a rather dangerous nervous manipulative idiot.
I don't know why he doesn't concentrate on getting his own country in order rather than meddling in everyone else's affairs.

If it is allegedly the Russian state who sanctioned the poisoning, we can't exactly extradite Putin & put him on trial.
Liam Fox on Question Time (I think it was him) said something about putting more NATO troops in Estonia & Latvia in order to send the Russians a message that you don't mess about with us. (If it can be proved that Russia is behind the poisoning.)

I just think that we are fairly powerless in the face of brazen tyrants who choose to wreak havoc on us. Maybe a few trade sanctions here or a boycott of a sporting event there and that's about it.

It is one heck of a cordon if they won't let someone home to feed their rabbits. Lives by pub.

Either they know exactly what they are dealing with (and it is scary) or they have no clue (even scarier). Salisbury Journal

When they decontaminate the air ambulance (again) I'll be really worried.

I'm sure I've read somewhere that they do know what the chemical is, but are not releasing any information at this stage of the investigation.

That the cordons are still in place suggests (to me) that agent is persistent. So discovering exactly where it as and decontaminating would be a key task.

And the delay in onset between contact and symptoms suggest (again to me) that it was administered percutaneously (would be much quicker acting if inhaled) and/or was specifically tweaked to make it a more portable assassination weapon.

I also read that they know what they are dealing with meditrina

I wonder if we will ever learn the full story.

I do think it is moving up on the alarm scale a little. The sheer number of people they are bringing in to work on it is concerning, but also the implied threat that this could happen to others.

Sadly, if this is not a propaganda stunt by May's confused conservatives, then it's sheer national incompetence and Putin will be laughing at us with his cronies.

Traces of nerve agent found at the restaurant Zizzi. On BBC news.

From everything people have been saying about nerve agents they paralyse within seconds, kill within minutes. Surely this doesnt add up

So maybe was on their hands?

Right, and the bench was where one of them scratched their nose or bit their fingernail? Can you wander round with nerve agent just on your hands?

Stealth it seems that cutaneous doses can take longer.
Or maybe it's a new variant? Makes it very spreadable then.

Right. I suppose.

I dunno, maybe?

Not all nerve agents act so fast. If ingested, yes. If inhaled, no. If high dose, yes. Low dose, no.

Plus it seems to be new very rare kind.

Theories on a package arriving at their house, which they were exposed to, so could be on their hands. Maybe that’s why flowers removed at grave? And why the cordons remain everywhere.

Haven't read the thread and apologies if this sounds really trite and ignorant but why is it that when "they" kill Russian spies is always seems to be with some dramatic poisoning.

There surely must be more discrete ways of assassinating someone? Or easier? Like shooting?

It's all very 1970s James bond. And why are the Russians even interested in us?

Right. Scary stuff. With the fast acting ones it must be much easier to establish events