The attack on Sergei and Julia Skripal in the UK has deepened the trenches between Russia and the West. Is not completed the case. A review of sanctions, investigations and policy responses.
Chemical weapons investigators to comb through the southern English town of Salisbury
On a Morning in mid-February, a Grand tied up in it suddenly a big Russian flag at the Cathedral of Salisbury. Someone had to be climbed in the cover of darkness on a scaffolding up to the white-blue-red cloth on the medieval install landmark of the city. “Thank God it was removed now,” said the conservative member of Parliament for the South of England, John Glen: “What had to experience for a stupid prank that made a mockery of the terrible events, the Salisbury last year.”
The involvement of Russia in these “bad events” from the point of view of the British government is more obvious than a metre-high flag. The consequences are – and yet all the Details of the events are not clarified.
Two-Unconscious and a track
On 4. March 2018 have been found a man and a woman unconscious on a Park bench. Quickly, it turned out that it was the Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia. Almost as quickly, it became clear that they had been poisoned with the nerve Nowitschok poison. So the trail led in Skripals home country of Russia, where he had fallen through the shared gift of secrets in disgrace. 12. March, the British Prime Minister Theresa May said in the house of Commons, “most likely,” put Russia behind the attack.
The Russian double agent Sergei Skripal before his poisoning
In the hospital the Skripals came back to power, four months after the initial attack, however, came bystanders to harm: A British Couple from the surrounding areas had found in Salisbury, a bottle of poison apparently transported. Both came with residues of the poison in contact. The woman died of its poisoning, the blind man.
Poisoned Diplomacy
While Sergei and Julia Skripal struggled to her life, and escalated the political reactions. Two days after the attack, the former British foreign Minister, Boris Johnson said he would not point the Finger at others. Nevertheless, he called Russia a “malignant and destructive force”. Ambassadors were summoned, ultimatums were set, finally, on both sides of the zig diplomats reported.
Two dozen Western countries with such steps on the side of great Britain. In September, stricter London once again and the sound: Ben Wallace, the Secretary of state for security, said the responsibility lies “in the end” in the case of a head of state, Putin personally, whose government “is in control of the military intelligence service, finances and controls”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Agent Sergei Skripal, in each case in a young age in a military uniform
Search of the perpetrators
The first wave of policy responses was the same again, as the movement came up in the investigation. At the beginning of September, the British justice has indicted two men, who were then sought by European arrest warrant. To do this, the UK published some of the recordings of surveillance cameras, as well as the name under which the men were traveling. President Putin suggested that both the authorities of well-known individuals should explain to the person what they did: In an Interview with Russian state TV channel RT, said to be as a tourist to Salisbury traveled. This story wanted to believe even some of the Kremlin close to Russians.
Within one month after the indictment, the research portal published the true identities of the two men, who are, therefore, of the military officers, and secret service, the GRU Bellingcat: Bellingcat had reconstructed, as Alexander Mischkin and Anatoly Tschepiga were under the deck name after the UK entered the country. Russia rejected the accusations.
This monitoring image is part of British authorities released images of the Suspects
New sanctions, new investigation
The United States imposed in the autumn of new sanctions against Russia, mainly because of the interference in the election campaign of 2016, but explicitly also because of the Skripal-case. Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned at the G20 summit in Argentina, the “vicious” sanctions – he still has any Russian responsibility. In January, the EU continued to list the leading staff of the Russian military intelligence GRU and the two suspected assassins on a sanction.
Only on the sidelines of the Munich security conference in February, official diplomatic talks between Britain and Russia took place – the first after eleven months of radio silence. Shortly thereafter, Bellingcat, presented findings about an alleged third accomplice by the name of Denis Sergeyev, also a GRU officer who is also associated with a poison attack in Bulgaria. Russia rejects all accusations.
The southern research facility in Porton Down analyzed the toxin in the case Skripal
More clarity with nerve poison
A year after the attack on Sergei and Julia Skripal, the political and criminological work-up is not completed yet. In the control of chemical weapons, the case has contributed its part to a fundamental Change: The Organisation for the prohibition of Chemical weapons (OPCW) in June of their member States additional powers.
Earlier, the inspectors were able to verify only whether or not chemical agents were used. So the absolute political neutrality of the group should be ensured. Just look at the devastating attacks in the Syria war, however, had the consequence that the offender could not be held accountable. Now the inspectors are to be allowed to investigate Clues, identifies the culprit.
Whether the OPCW Reform, if it had been earlier, would have averted the poisoning of the Skripals, however, is questionable: Russia, the power expansion of the OPCW, not with bears.