Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal (part 2)

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

new thread as the old one is practically done.

news.met.police.uk/news/statement-issued-on-behalf-of-yulia-skripal-302508 Yulia's latest statement. May have been written by ... ?

It sounds like she doesn't know who to trust, and wants to convalesce further before making any decisions at all

The statement is oddly formal. It sounds like she's been advised to make some kind of statement to keep the press at bay and to stop various people speculating about her. It sort of reads like someone (the police?) has asked her a number of questions and then phrased her answers in a more formal way. It sounds like, for example, she been asked something like, "Do you want to see your cousin?" And said, "No! She doesn't understand! I don't like what she's been saying!" And then the police have said, "Okay. You don't need to see her if you don't want to. What we'll put is..."

To me, although it reads oddly, it sounds like her actual words were perhaps understandably fearful/emotional and for diplomatic reasons needed to be made rather blander. It does remind me a bit of the stereotype of the policeman in the witness box saying, "I was proceeding in a Westerly direction." It does seem designed to get the press (and others) off her back for a bit.

I guess she has had to make a statement after reading and listening to the speculations made by her darling cousin and other relatives.

It sounds like someone with English as a second language making a series of points, that will presumably have been crafted in agreement with someone like the police or Home Office or Intelligence.

I feel really sorry for her. Her father would have had some idea what he was getting into but she was only 10 when he was recruited by British intelligence. She's had her father imprisoned and then effectively exiled, her mother and brother have died, someone has tried to murder her and her only close living relative is still seriously ill. She's in a foreign country, probably not completely sure who she can trust and still suffering the effects of the nerve agent. I really hope that she's able to have some kind of happy, settled life after all this.

You tend to forget that much of what goes on remains unreported and it's good to know that Yulia has access to friends and family. I hope they have been able to support her in a low-key way behind the scenes.

(We only really got to hear from Viktoria, whose watchword might not be discretion.)

Regardless of how it’s been phrased ( I agree, Emily Dickinson - through a third party or whatever)
I’m likin’ Yulia! I’m not liking the cousin much. Who has that kind of conversation and allows it to be on the telly without her consent.
She basically told the lot of ‘em “ get off my back”. Good for her!

I wonder if this was done with her consent.

twitter.com/AnnaSilverman1/status/983682620671315968

What strikes me is that Yulia must still be quite ill and that her move from hospital/known location was prompted by fears for her safety .

Of course I could be completely wrong .

Her comment ( I get that the statement was not a direct transcription of her words before anyone points this out ) that she was already missing the hospital staff for their kindness ,seems so sad .

Poor girl .

The OPWC confirm our findings.

Not food poisoning. Not something cooked up in a low grade facility. The classified version gives the chemical structure, which will be very specific.

OPCW. Sorry, I got marmite on my ipad and my cat decided it needed washing off.

Their website has gone down

20years.opcw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/s-1612-2018e.pdf

report from the opcw

Counterpoint,

Are you one of those paid Russian stooges?

If the hospital did not think they had not been poisoned by nerve agents, the treatment would have been completely different.

And if the treatment had been completely different, do you think none of the medical staff (doctors, nurses etc) would have said that?

From what I read the Novichok may have been in gel form. I suspect the Russians are amazed that they survived. Clearly the vector used (the gel) made the agent less effective, and the treatment must have been first class.

As the weblink is overwhelmed

SUMMARY OF THE REPORT ON ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT IN SUPPORT OF A REQUEST FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE BY THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND (TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE VISIT TAV/02/18)

1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland requested technical assistance from the OPCW Technical Secretariat (hereinafter “the Secretariat”) under subparagraph 38(e) of Article VIII of the Chemical Weapons Convention in relation to an incident in Salisbury on 4 March 2018 involving a toxic chemical—allegedly a nerve agent—and the poisoning and hospitalisation of three individuals. The Director-General decided to dispatch a team to the United Kingdom for a technical assistance visit (TAV).

1. The TAV team deployed to the United Kingdom on 19 March for a pre-deployment and from 21 March to 23 March for a full deployment.

1. The team received information on the medical conditions of the affected individuals, Mr Sergej Skripal, Ms Yulia Skripal, and Mr Nicholas Bailey. This included information on their acetylcholinesterase status since hospitalisation, as well as information on the treatment regime.

1. The team was able to collect blood samples from the three affected individuals under full chain of custody for delivery to the OPCW Laboratory and subsequent analysis by OPCW designated laboratories, and conducted identification of the three individuals against official photo-ID documents.

1. The team was able to conduct on-site sampling of environmental samples under full chain of custody at sites identified as possible hot-spots of residual contamination. Samples were returned to the OPCW Laboratory for subsequent analysis by OPCW designated laboratories.

1. The team requested and received splits of samples taken by British authorities for delivery to the OPCW Laboratory in Rijswijk, the Netherlands, and subsequent analysis by OPCW designated laboratories. This was done for comparative purposes and to verify the analysis of the United Kingdom.

1. The team was briefed on the identity of the toxic chemical identified by the United Kingdom and was able to review analytical results and data from chemical analysis of biomedical samples collected by the British authorities from the affected individuals, as well as from environmental samples collected on site.

1. The results of analysis of biomedical samples conducted by OPCW designated laboratories demonstrate the exposure of the three hospitalised individuals to this toxic chemical.

1. The results of analysis of the environmental samples conducted by OPCW designated laboratories demonstrate the presence of this toxic chemical in the samples.

10. The results of analysis by the OPCW designated laboratories of environmental and biomedical samples collected by the OPCW team confirm the findings of the United Kingdom relating to the identity of the toxic chemical that was used in Salisbury and severely injured three people.

11. The TAV team notes that the toxic chemical was of high purity. The latter is concluded from the almost complete absence of impurities.

12. The name and structure of the identified toxic chemical are contained in the full classified report of the Secretariat, available to States Parties.

So going back to May's very careful wording

“identified the substance used on them as being part of a group of military-grade nerve agents known as Novichok developed by the Soviet Union”

It is a type of Novichok first developed by USSR

As I suggested very early on in the previous thread, this is proving to be a tactic to disarm Russia from influence and support for its position in Syria.

Are you one of those paid Russian stooges?

Are you one of those Ministry of Truth writers for our Orwellian government?

12. The name and structure of the identified toxic chemical are contained in the full classified report of the Secretariat, available to States Parties.

Interesting that they are not releasing the name or structure of the (alleged) toxic substance.

Interesting too that there is no mention of a source or site of synthesis (something a few of us here agreed would not be possible to work out without reference materials).

Interesting that they are not releasing the name or structure of the (alleged) toxic substance

comment I heard on radio was that witholding details of structure from public was to stop pp trying to make it at home .

Counterpoint,

What would you like them to do? Release a recipe and what kind of equipment is required?

What is proving to be a tactic? What do you believe happened, and why?

'Are you one of those Ministry of Truth writers for our Orwellian government?'

As if there are not thousands of different opinions aired on our media. Unlike your mates in Russia, where Putin has shut down just about every news source that does not toe the party line.

to stop pp trying to make it at home

So it is something easy to make?
Any old chem graduate could make it?

I wish they would make up their minds, sophisticated state lab or garden shed?

pestilential the phrasing was trying to make it at home .

impression I got was that some idiots might have a go...

Pestilential,

It is a binary agent. The two halves need a sophisticated lab to make to weapon's grade standard. A garden shed is probably fine for mixing, taking certain precautions.

Again, I don't think these things are very difficult to make. The tough things are the quality and avoiding killing yourselves while you are doing it. I am sure a chem grad could make it with the right recipe.