Russia: Britain could have obtained Novichok poison that was used on Skripal from the US
Alexei Chepa, Deputy State Duma Committee for International Affairs, said that Britain could have received the toxic substance Novichok, which was used to poison the former spy Skripal and his daughter, from the United States, reported the Russian agency Interfax.
“In the early 90s, specialized American companies utilized a company in Nukus (Uzbekistan), where this chemical weapon was developed (Novichok - Ed.). The Americans had access not only to the technology, but also had access to the development itself. It is likely that their NATO partners from the UK also had access to it,” Chepa told the agency on Thursday.
He noted that this was the same company that produced Novichok during the Soviet era.
“In other words, they had access to the technology and samples of the substance,” said Chepa.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the nerve agent Novichok, which was used for the poisoning in Salisbury, was created on Russian territory.
He also noted that it is one of the most toxic substances ever created.
British chemical weapons experts believe that the poisonous nerve agent Novichok was developed and manufactured in the Russian city of Shikhany (Saratov region), where there is a Russian military research institution.