Kremlin says Russia not involved in Skripal affair at any level

Moscow is not involved in the assassination attempt on the Skripals at any level from top to bottom and it regards these charges against Russian officials as impermissible, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media.

"We have said more than once and can confirm officially once again that Russia has had nothing to do with the events in Salisbury. Russia is not involved in any way," Peskov said in response to London’s charges.

"Any accusations against the Russian leadership are impermissible," he said. "Neither the highest Russian leaders, nor officials of lower ranks have ever had anything to do with the events in Salisbury. This is ruled out," Peskov said.

Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service on September 5 said it was prepared to put forward charges of an attempt on the life of former GRU Colonel Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia against two Russian citizens - Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov. The police said it would push ahead with investigations of the Salisbury and Amesbury poisonings as one case.

If the British version of the incident is to be believed, the Skripals on March 4 were affected by a Novichok class nerve agent in Salisbury. The British government claimed that Russia was highly likely involved in the incident. Moscow strongly dismissed all speculations on that score, saying that programs for making such agents had never existed in the Soviet Union or Russia. Britain’s military chemical laboratory at Porton Down has failed to identify the origin of the substance that allegedly affected the Skripals.