HOSTAGE: Russian Diplomats Say Yulia Skripal Forced to Read Sloppily Translated MI5 Script
Britain needs to let Russian diplomats talk directly to Yulia Skripal, as stated by our embassy after Reuters made public the girl's first video statement after her recovery. The Russian diplomats said that judging by the phrases, the Russian text pronounced by Yulia was translated from English and had been written by a native speaker.
Alexander Khabarov studied the statement.
Yulia Skripal appeared before the cameras of British Reuters in a garden somewhere in London. It's almost impossible to establish the exact place where the video was shot. The British Special Services have been hiding Yulia since her discharge from Salisbury hospital. Russian diplomats were unable to meet with her. The main idea of the statement seemed to be her recorded refusal to meet with the embassy's representatives.
Yulia Skripal: "I kindly ask that everyone respects the privacy of me and my father. We need time to recover and come to terms with everything that has happened. I’m grateful for the offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy. But at the moment I am not ready, and I do not wish to avail myself of their services".
Reuters reports that Yulia provided 2 texts of the statement in Russian and English, each one signed by her. She says she was poisoned by a nerve agent, spent 20 days in a coma, and she still suffers the implications of the poisoning. The text says that the treatment was invasive. One can plainly see a scar on her neck. At least visually right now, Yulia Skripal appears fully healthy.
Reuters claims that Yulia only stuck to the canned text and refused to answer follow-up questions. And many questions remain. On the whole, the statement resembles the text published by Scotland Yard on her behalf over a month ago. Judging by its structure and phrases, it could have been written in English to be translated into Russian.
Yulia Skripal: "My life has been turned upside down as I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally. I take it one day at a time and want to help care for my dad till his full recovery. In the longer term, I hope to return home to my country".
The Russian embassy in London already reacted to the video and the published text.
"With the greatest respect to Yulia's privacy and security, the video does not discharge the UK authorities from their obligations under Consular Conventions. The UK is obliged to give us the opportunity to speak to Yulia directly in order to make sure that she is not held against her own will and is not speaking under pressure. So far, we have every reason to suspect the opposite".
Maria Zakharova, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson: "Not a day went by where the Russian embassy in London didn't try to get in touch with Yulia Skripal to make sure that she's not held against her will or somebody else isn't passed off as her, to get the data about the state of her and her father firsthand".
Yulia's cousin Victoria shared her concerns with the journalists. She was twice denied a visa by the British.
Victoria Skripal, Yulia's cousin: "She's pronouncing the text she learned by heart. That is, she's not emotional, she's speaking very quickly. When you learn a text by heart, you then reproduce it as quickly as possible. That's the case. We just pronounce the text very quickly".
Without providing evidence and classifying the investigation, London keeps accusing Moscow of poisoning the Skripals. Moscow fully denies any involvement in the incident and considers it a provocation. Judging by the way Yulia Skripal's statement was filmed, the truth about the Salisbury incident won't be revealed soon.
Alexander Khabarov, Ilya Mordyukov for Vesti from London.