https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...tin-sends-with-poison/?utm_term=.6351a2524bfc
Once again, an opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin is the victim of a mysterious attack. Sergei Skripal, a former Russian intelligence officer who has been living in Britain since 2010, lost consciousness on Sunday after being exposed to a then-unknown substance. (His daughter Yulia Skripal, who was with him at the time, is also fighting for her life. They remain in stable but critical condition as of this writing.) On Wednesday, the British police presented a startling conclusion: Both had been poisoned with a nerve agent. And on Thursday, the authorities revealed that another 21 people had been exposed as well.
To be fair, it will be hard to prove conclusively that the Kremlin was behind this latest episode. Yet it is hard to imagine another scenario. Nerve agents — most often used in chemical weapons — are not readily available for use by private individuals, and governments tend to guard them carefully.
The attack on Skripal fits neatly into a broader pattern. Ever since Putin came to power, many of his enemies have died under suspicious circumstances, and toxins of various kinds have often been involved. The most well-known victim was Alexander Litvinenko, another former spy who died in Britain 2006 after he was poisoned with polonium, a highly radioactive substance. (Skripal worked as a double agent for the British, and served 10 years in a Russian prison before coming to Britain as part of a spy swap.)
Once again, an opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin is the victim of a mysterious attack. Sergei Skripal, a former Russian intelligence officer who has been living in Britain since 2010, lost consciousness on Sunday after being exposed to a then-unknown substance. (His daughter Yulia Skripal, who was with him at the time, is also fighting for her life. They remain in stable but critical condition as of this writing.) On Wednesday, the British police presented a startling conclusion: Both had been poisoned with a nerve agent. And on Thursday, the authorities revealed that another 21 people had been exposed as well.
To be fair, it will be hard to prove conclusively that the Kremlin was behind this latest episode. Yet it is hard to imagine another scenario. Nerve agents — most often used in chemical weapons — are not readily available for use by private individuals, and governments tend to guard them carefully.
The attack on Skripal fits neatly into a broader pattern. Ever since Putin came to power, many of his enemies have died under suspicious circumstances, and toxins of various kinds have often been involved. The most well-known victim was Alexander Litvinenko, another former spy who died in Britain 2006 after he was poisoned with polonium, a highly radioactive substance. (Skripal worked as a double agent for the British, and served 10 years in a Russian prison before coming to Britain as part of a spy swap.)
