Poisoned ex-spy ‘improving rapidly’

The former Russian spy who was found slumped in an English city after being poisoned is no longer in critical condition and is “improving rapidly,” the hospital treating him said yesterday.

It was the first official news on the condition of Sergei Skripal (66), since he and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned on a bench on March 4 in Salisbury.

The affair has sparked a bitter diplomatic crisis between London and Moscow and prompted a wave of tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats between Russia and the West.

Britain’s interior ministry yesterday rejected a visa application by Skripal’s niece to visit the country, because it “did not comply with the immigration rules,” it said.

Meanwhile Skripal “is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition,”according to Salisbury District Hospital director Christine Blanshard.

As for his daughter, “her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she is well enough to leave the hospital”, Blanshard added.

Britain blames Russia for the poisoning of the Skripals – a charge the Kremlin furiously denies.

A British Foreign Office spokesperson praised medical staff continuing to treat the pair and noted they are “likely to have ongoing medical needs”.

Its statement added: “this was attempted murder using an illegal chemical weapon that we know Russia possesses.” The Herald