Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, who was exposed to a nerve agent along with his daughter, has been discharged from hospital.

Mr Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia Skripal, 33, were admitted to Salisbury District Hospital along with Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey after being exposed to the novichok agent on March 4.

The hospital confirmed on Friday that all three patients had now been discharged.

Treatment of such patients involves “stabilising them, keeping them alive until their bodies could produce more enzymes to replace those that had been poisoned”, it said.

Lorna Wilkinson, director of nursing at the hospital, said: “We have been able to discharge Sergei Skripal.

“This is an important stage in his recovery, which will now take place away from the hospital.

“Treating him and the other two people poisoned by this nerve agent, while still providing outstanding care to the other patients who rely on our hospital, has been a huge and unprecedented challenge that I’m proud our staff at Salisbury Hospital have risen to.” </s> The former Russian spy poisoned with a nerve agent is no longer critically ill in hospital, according to doctors. Sergei Skripal, 66, is “responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and no longer in a critical condition”. It comes on the back of the news his daughter Yulia’s condition is also improving after the attack on 4 March, which left them both fighting for their lives.

Police believe Skripal and his daughter, who was visiting him from Russia, first came into contact with the Novichok agent at his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Dr Christine Blanshard, medical director at Salisbury District Hospital, said: “Following intense media coverage yesterday, I would like to take the opportunity to update you on the condition of the two remaining patients being treated at Salisbury District Hospital. “Last Thursday, I informed you that Yulia Skripal’s condition had improved to stable. As Yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she is well enough to leave the hospital. “Any speculation on when that date will be is just that – speculation. In the meantime, Yulia has asked for privacy while she continues to get better – something I’d like to urge the media to respect.

“I also want to update you on the condition of her father, Sergei Skripal. He is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition. “As you’ll appreciate, I won’t be giving any further updates at this time.” Following the news that Skripal’s condition had improved, the Russian Embassy to the UK tweeted: “Good news!” In her first statement since coming out of a coma last week, Yulia, 33, said: “I woke up over a week ago now and am glad to say my strength is growing daily. I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received.” Russia has appealed for the UK to issue visas for relatives to visit the Skripals in hospital in Salisbury, where they are being treated for exposure to the deadly chemical. It has warned Britain is “playing with fire and will be sorry” over the poisonings as the two countries traded jibes at the United Nations. Russian UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya claimed the UK’s main argument about the “unquestionable Russian origin” of the Novichok is “no longer valid” following comments from Porton Down’s Gary Aitkenhead. Moscow called the UN Security Council meeting to discuss the incident, with foreign minister Sergey Lavrov saying the UK has “legitimate questions” to answer about what happened. But security minister Ben Wallace said it was “beyond reasonable doubt” that Russia was to blame for the attack, as the UK sought to maintain diplomatic pressure over the incident. On Wednesday, Russia lost a vote at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague on its demand for its experts to be involved in testing samples of the substance used in the Salisbury attack. Meanwhile, two guinea pigs were found dead at Mr Skripal’s home after the property was sealed off for investigations. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs added a cat was also found in a distressed state at the house and a decision was taken to euthanise the pet. </s> LONDON (Reuters) - Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal is no longer in critical condition and his health is improving rapidly more than a month since he was poisoned with a nerve agent, the British hospital treating him said on Friday.

Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia were found slumped unconscious on a public bench in the English city of Salisbury on March 4.

Britain said they were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent first developed by the Soviet Union. Russia has denied it had anything to do with the first known use of such a toxin on European soil since World War Two.

“He is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition,” Christine Blanshard, Medical Director at Salisbury District Hospital, said in a statement.

Blanshard said she was providing the update response to “intense media coverage yesterday.”

On Thursday, Russian state television reported Yulia had phoned her cousin and told her that she and her father were both recovering and that she expected to leave hospital soon.

Britain has said Russia is culpable for the attack, while Moscow denies any involvement. The incident has had major diplomatic ramifications, with mass expulsions of Russian and Western diplomats. </s> London: Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy who was poisoned by a nerve agent in Britain more than two months ago, has been discharged from hospital, England's health service said on Friday.

Sergei Skripal, 66, a former colonel in Russia's military intelligence who betrayed dozens of agents to Britain, and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a public bench in the southern English city of Salisbury on March 4.

Britain has accused Russia of being behind the nerve agent attack and Western governments including the United States have expelled over 100 Russian diplomats. Russia has denied any involvement in the poisoning and has retaliated in kind.

The Skripals were in a critical condition for weeks and doctors at one point feared that, even if they survived, they might have suffered brain damage. But their health began to improve rapidly, and Yulia was discharged last month.

"It is fantastic news that Sergei Skripal is well enough to leave Salisbury District Hospital," the hospital's Chief Executive Cara Charles-Barks said in a statement. </s> The former Russian double agent, 66, who was poisoned with a nerve agent on March 4 along with his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia, was left fighting for his life in hospital after being found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury. The shocking news of a change in his condition comes after it emerged last week the health of his daughter, Yulia, had also stabilised and that she was looking forward to leaving hospital. Police who launched an investigation into the attempted murders of Mr Skripal and his daughter, who was visiting him from Russia, believe that the pair first came into contact with the novichok nerve agent at his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Specialists investigating the incident have found the highest confrontation of the military-grade agent on the front door of Mr Sergei’s Salisbury home. Christine Blanshard, medical director at Salisbury District Hospital, said: "Following intense media coverage yesterday, I would like to take the opportunity to update you on the condition of the two remaining patients being treated at Salisbury District Hospital.

"Last Thursday, I informed you that Yulia Skripal's condition had improved to stable. As Yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she is well enough to leave the hospital. "Any speculation on when that date will be is just that - speculation. In the meantime, Yulia has asked for privacy while she continues to get better - something I'd like to urge the media to respect.” Ms Blanchard added: ”I also want to update you on the condition of her father, Sergei Skripal. He is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition.” Reacting to reports of Mr Skripal’s improved health, the Russian Embassy to the UK tweeted: “Good news!” The development in Mr Skripal’s health comes a day after Yulia Skripal released a statement through the Metropolitan police in which she said “my strength is growing daily”.

In a separate telephone conversation allegedly recorded by her cousin Viktoria Skripal in Moscow, Yulia, when questioned about the health of her father, said: “Everything’s OK, he’s resting now, he’s sleeping. Everyone’s health is OK. No one has had any irreversible [harm].” The poisoning of the Skripals has caused international tensions after the UK blamed the Russian government for the attack. Russia has vehemently denied any allegations of involvement in the incident. And Russia has appealed for the UK to issue visas for relatives to visit the Skripals in hospital in Salisbury, where they are being treated for exposure to the deadly chemical. Following Britain’s main argument about the “unquestionable Russian origin” of the nerve agent, Russian UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya claimed the narrative is “no longer valid”. There was no immediate reaction from the British government to the news. It comes as Russia’s foreign minister repeated a challenge to Britain to produce evidence prove that Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by Russia. </s> The daughter of a former Russian spy left seriously ill after being poisoned in Salisbury has said "everything is fine" and claimed she will soon be discharged from hospital, according to an unverified recording.

Yulia Skripal is also claimed to have said her father Sergei was "sleeping" and "resting" and that "nobody has got anything they won’t recover from" in a telephone conversation sent to Russian State TV.

The recording was played at the same time Yulia released an official statement via the Met Police in which she said that her 'strength was growing daily'.

The phone conversation was released by Victoria Skripal, Sergei Skripal's niece, who claims she recorded a conversation with her cousin before sending it to broadcaster Russia 1.

It was revealed last week that Yulia was conscious and talking after waking from a coma she went into after being poisoned with a deadly nerve agent, alongside her father, in March.

See the full alleged phone conversation below

The unverified recording of the conversation, in which Yulia is said to have phoned her cousin, was played in Russia 1's lunchtime news show.

In the conversation, Victoria also said that she will fly to London on Monday if she is granted a visa.

It was reported last week that Ms Skripal was no longer in a critical condition and was improving rapidly.

But the 33-year-old was still in need of round the clock care at Salisbury District Hospital where she was taken after being poisoned with nerve agent Novichok.

Her father was said to still be in a coma, but when asked about his health, Yulia allegedly said: "He’s fine, now he’s resting, sleeping. Everybody’s healthy, everybody’s fine.

"Nobody has got anything they won’t recover from. I’ll be discharged soon. Everything’s ok."

Both the Skripals have been in hospital since the attack on March 4 when they were found slumped on a bench near a shopping centre in Salisbury.

Prior to the condition check last week, relatives has said they feared both only had a slim chance of survival.

However, experts at Salisbury NHS Trust said that Ms Skripal's condition had improved and her condition was downgraded from critical.

Court documents had previously said the mental capacity of the pair may be compromised to an unknown degree.

The papers showed that while Mr Skripal was unable to communicate in any way, his daughter was unable to communicate in any "meaningful way".

The Court of Protection in London also said it was not possible to say when or to what extent Sergei and Yulia Skripal may "regain capacity"

The positive update on Ms Skripal's condition came the day after police revealed she and her dad likely first came into contact with the Novichok at their front door.

The Metropolitan Police announced detectives believe the pair first came into contact with the nerve agent there.

Specialists have identified the highest concentration of Novichok - a rare and highly toxic substance - as being on the Skripals' front door, the force added.

The poisoning has led to a heightening diplomatic row between Russia and the UK and its allies.

The Kremlin will tonight drag the row over the poisoning to the UN Security Council.

The council meets later after Moscow seized on Britain deleting a tweet that wrongly claimedPorton Down had traced the nerve agent used in the attack to Russia.

Today it was reported that despite the row, British spooks know which Russian lab produced the nerve agent which poisoned Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on March 4.

Security minister Ben Wallace told the BBC: "That nerve agent has been identified to being manufactured we believe in Russia.

"We believe that the nerve agent, the Novichok type of nerve agent, is only capable of being produced by a nation state.

"And then we add that to intelligence we hold, we add that to some of the police investigation that's going on right now.

"And we can say that roads lead to Russia, that we are beyond reasonable doubt of the view that the Russian state is behind this."

Y Hello, can you hear me?

V Ah Yulka, it’s you! (general astonishment) I can't believe it - have they given you a phone?

V Thank God Is everything Ok with you?

V If I get a visa tomorrow and coming to see you on Monday

Y Nobody will give you one!

V [some discussion about visiting] If they give me a visa, I’ll come. Just if they ask you if you want to see me, say yes.

[they talk over each other]

V Is it your telephone?

V Is your dad OK?

Y He’s fine, now he’s resting, sleeping. Everybody’s healthy, everybody’s fine. Nobody has got anything they won’t recover from. I’ll be discharged soon. Everything’s ok. </s> Poisoned Russian spy Sergei Skripal is “improving rapidly,” his doctors announced Friday — prompting Russia’s UK embassy to tweet, “Good news!”

“He is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition,” said Dr. Christine Blanshard, medical director at Salisbury District Hospital, according to the BBC.

His daughter, Yulia, who also fell sick in the nerve-agent attack, is on the mend as well, she added.

“As Yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she is well enough to leave the hospital,” Blanshard said.

Sergei Skripal — who was jailed in Russia for selling secrets to the UK before being freed and sent to England in a 2010 prisoner swap — and his daughter have been in the hospital since March 4, when they suddenly collapsed on a park bench due to exposure to the deadly poison.

The UK government has pointed the finger at the Kremlin for the attack — igniting a diplomatic row between Moscow and Western nations that has seen Russian envoys expelled from more than 20 countries.

Following the announcement of the Skripals’ improving health, Russia’s embassy tweeted messages of support for the pair — and a broadside against the UK.

“We hope that the improvement of Sergei and Yulia Skripal’s health will contribute to the investigation of the crime perpetrated against them. We are confident that an objective probe will ultimately establish that the claims against Russia by UK Government are null and void,” the embassy wrote. </s> The daughter of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal has been discharged from hospital more than five weeks after the Salisbury poisoning.

Yulia Skripal has been allowed to leave Salisbury District Hospital in Wiltshire after making a remarkable recovery from the nerve agent attack.

It is believed the 33-year-old is now in a safe location.

Her former double agent dad, 66, remains hospitalised, but will hopefully also be released "in due course", hospital officials said this morning.

Speaking at a press conference, medical director Dr Christine Blanshard said both of the pair "have responded exceptionally well" to treatment.

She said they have received round-the-clock care from clinicians, but are at different stages, with Sergei "recovering more slowly than Yulia".

Scroll down for the hospital's full statement

Announcing the update on Yulia, Dr Blanshard said: "This is not the end of her treatment but marks a significant milestone."

She added that Sergei has "also made good progress".

"On Friday I announced he was no longer in a critical condition," she said.

"Although he is recovering more slowly than Yulia, we hope that he too will be able to leave hospital in due course."

Shortly after the update, the Russian Embassy said it needed "urgent proof" that the actions taken with Yulia are being "done on her own free will".

It tweeted: "We congratulate Yulia Skripal on her recovery. Yet we need urgent proof that what is being done to her is done on her own free will."

Doctors had previously said Yulia's health was quickly improving after she and Sergei were poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok last month.

Today, her family in Russia said they were "pleased" by the news of her discharge - but called on Britain to provide proof of it.

Her cousin, Viktoria Skripal, said that without such proof, she found the reports of her release "hard to believe" and difficult to "comprehend".

The 45-year-old said: "I heard news about her being discharged today, and my heart jumped. Have you seen her? How was she? No?

"Has anyone in fact seen her? They must let us see her."

She added: "I am so confused about the news.

"I wish I could see at least a glimpse of her leaving the hospital.

"Honestly I find it hard to believe it and can't quite comprehend it.

“I think I'll start believing it when I can at least see her, and better hug and see her face to face."

Viktoria claimed neither she nor her relatives had received a call or a message about Yulia's discharge.

In an interview with Sky News, she said: "I'm feeling pleased that she's well enough to be released from hospital."

But she added: "So far my feelings are unclear because I have not seen her and nobody has seen her, we've just had information."

Yulia and Sergei had been left fighting for their lives after being found slumped on a bench near a shopping centre in the cathedral city on March 4.

The pair were in a critical condition at the hospital for almost a month, but in recent weeks, medics said both of their health had improved rapidly.

And today, Dr Blanshard confirmed: "We have now discharged Yulia."

It understood the young woman was taken to a secure location after leaving hospital, according to the BBC.

While some reports have claimed the Skripals could be resettled in the US after their release, others say Yulia could seek political asylum in the UK.

Viktoria claimed today that the pair would not be safe if they end up being relocated to America, possibly with new identities.

"I can't say if it's safe for them in Russia or if it's safe for them to remain there (UK), but the unsafest place is America,” she said.

In an earlier interview, the cousin had said Yulia would seek asylum.

She claimed to have recorded a phone conversation with the young woman while she was still in hospital, according to Russia's RIA news agency.

Speaking to a Russian TV talk show, Viktoria reportedly said: "I know that Yulia Skripal's statement about political asylum is coming already."

Last week, Yulia had issued a statement via police, saying her strength was growing daily and she had received many messages of goodwill.

The news of her discharge from hospital comes after she was apparently recorded saying her father was "sleeping" and "resting".

In the unverified recording, sent to Russian state broadcaster Russia 1, she also apparently said "nobody has got anything they won’t recover from".

The recording was played at the same time as Yulia released an official statement via the Met Police, thanking Salisbury locals for coming to her aid and hospital staff for their "care and professionalism".

In the statement, released on Thursday, she said: “I woke up over a week ago now and am glad to say my strength is growing daily. I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received.

“I have many people to thank for my recovery and would especially like to mention the people of Salisbury that came to my aid when my father and I were incapacitated. Further than that, I would like to thank the staff at Salisbury District Hospital for their care and professionalism.

“I am sure you appreciate that the entire episode is somewhat disorientating, and I hope that you’ll respect my privacy and that of my family during the period of my convalescence.”

Sergei, a former colonel in Russia's GRU military intelligence service who came to Britain in 2010, is also no longer in a critical condition.

On Friday, doctors said the father was "responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and no longer in a critical condition". But the Foreign Office has said the pair are likely go have "ongoing medical needs".

Yulia and Sergei's dramatic health improvements reportedly forced UK authorities to consider measures to protect them after their discharge from hospital.

And the authorities appear to have taken such measures, with Yulia apparently now in a safe place following her release.

Her father became a British citizen when he arrived in the country eight years ago as part of a high-profile spy swap. Neighbours have told of how he is a "quiet" man who dresses casually and drives a BMW.

The poisoning has sparked a major diplomatic row between Russia and the UK, plunging relations between the nations to an all-time low.

Britain says Yulia and Sergei were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent and has blamed Russia for the attack.

However, Moscow has denied any involvement in the incident.

"My name is Dr Christine Blanshard and I'm the medical director here at Salisbury District Hospital. I am joined by Lorna Wilkinson our director of nursing.

"I want to give you an update on the progress of the two remaining inpatients that we are treating here at the Hospital - Sergei and Yulia Skripal.

"I will not be taking questions following this statement.

"Following the incident on March 4, Salisbury District Hospital received three people who required inpatient care - Sergei and Yulia Skripal and DS Nick Bailey, who was discharged on March 22nd.

"All three had been exposed to a nerve agent - a highly toxic chemical which aims to prevent the nervous system from functioning.

"In the four weeks since the incident in the city centre, both have received round the clock care from our clinicians, who've been able to draw in advice and support from world leading experts in this field.

"We've been keeping you updated on the condition of Yulia and Sergei, whilst respecting the right to privacy to which they - and all our patients - are entitled.

"While I won't go into great detail about the treatment we've been providing, I will say that nerve agents work by attaching themselves to a particular enzyme in the body which then stops the nerves from working properly. This results in symptoms such as sickness and hallucinations.

"Our job in treating the patients has been to stabilise them - ensuring that the patients could breathe and that blood could continue to circulate. We then needed to use a variety of different drugs to support the patients until they could create more enzymes to replace those affected by the poisoning.

"We also used specialised decontamination techniques to remove any residual toxins.

"Both patients have responded exceptionally well to the treatment we've been providing. But equally, both patients are at different stages in their recovery.

"We have now discharged Yulia from Salisbury District Hospital. Yulia has asked for privacy from the media and I want to reiterate that request.

"I also want to take this opportunity to wish Yulia well. This is not the end of her treatment, but marks a significant milestone.

"Her father has also made good progress. On Friday I announced that he was no longer in a critical condition. Although he is recovering more slowly than Yulia, we hope that he too will be able to leave hospital in due course.

"Finally, I want to pay tribute to the staff here at Salisbury District Hospital. The past few weeks have been enormously testing on all our staff. They have pulled together, not just to deliver outstanding care to the individuals caught up in these terrible events, but to all our patients as they do day in, day out. Both our clinical staff and our staff behind the scenes have been a credit to the hospital, to the NHS and to Salisbury as a city. </s> If the Skripals came into contact with the deadly nerve agent at their doorstep, how did they have the ability to first go to a pub and a restaurant before they succumbed?

LONDON — It is an indelicate question, but why aren’t the Skripals dead?

The former Russian double agent attacked by a military-grade nerve agent a month ago is no longer in critical condition, his doctors said Friday, joining his daughter in a recovery that could lead to the pair helping investigators solve the mystery of exactly how, where and by whom they were poisoned.

Sergei Skripal, 66, is “responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition,” said Christine Blanshard, medical director at the Salisbury district hospital. Officials did not say whether the ex-spy had regained consciousness, as daughter Yulia Skripal did last week.

Yulia Skripal, 33, was also poisoned, but her condition had improved to stable last week. She is speaking, issuing statements and reportedly talking to relatives back home in Russia on the telephone.

“As Yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she is well enough to leave the hospital,” her doctor said.

How can this be? As the Russian government has asked, in its campaign to discredit British assertions that Russia was behind the attack, why didn’t the Skripals collapse immediately if they were poisoned by a powerful nerve agent? If they came into contact with the agent at their doorstep — as British police said — how did they have the ability to first go to a pub and a restaurant before they succumbed?

The Skripals were found March 4 on a park bench in the cathedral city of Salisbury, she comatose, he awake but disoriented.

Medical experts attributed their recovery to the readily available treatments and antidotes they likely received at the hospital.

“Poisoning does not necessarily result in death,” said Michelle Carlin, a senior lecturer in forensic and analytical chemistry at Northumbria University. “If treated quickly and promptly enough, it is possible to recover from poisoning of many compounds.”

Asked if it was surprising that at least one of the Skripals regained consciousness after several weeks in a coma, Carlin said: “We don’t really know what normal is with Novichok agents, but what you’ve got to remember is their body has been poisoned with a compound, and although giving somebody an antidote will block the signal, the body still needs time to recover, and it needs to recover naturally, and obviously that takes time.”

She said it was difficult to discern why Yulia Skripal recovered faster than her father. “We don’t know if that’s because she had less administered, or it took longer to have an effect or because she’s younger or healthier — there’s too many factors to take into account,” she said.

Toxicologists and medical forensic specialists said nerve agents are most dangerous in the first few days after an attack, but given that the Skripals pulled through that, it wasn’t surprising that their condition was improving.

Malcolm Sperrin, a medical physicist, said a long-term prognosis for the Skripals remained uncertain. Referring to Yulia, he said, “She might talk and converse, but what we don’t know is if she will go back to where she was before the event, not just about cognition, but there’s other aspects that could be affected, like mobility, problems with mental state, anxiety, depression, there are so many unknowns.”

Britain said the improving health of the Skripals is “a tribute to the hardworking and talented National Health Service staff in Salisbury who have provided outstanding care.”

After the doctor’s statement Friday that the elder Skripal’s health also had improved, the Russian Embassy to the United Kingdom tweeted, “Good news!”

Russian officials have accused Britain of denying them access to Yulia Skripal. The British government said the choice not to meet with Russian officials, at least not yet, was hers. “We have conveyed to Ms. Skripal the Russian Embassy’s offer of consular assistance,” the British Foreign Office said in a statement released Thursday night. “Ms. Skripal is now able to choose if and when to take up this offer, but to date she has not done so.”

Russia has denied having anything to do with the attack, with top Russian diplomats insisting Britain either rushed or bungled the investigation — or that British agents may have poisoned the father and daughter to smear Russia.

A director of the Porton Down British military laboratory said this week that the nerve agent was from the Novichok class, a type designed and manufactured by the former Soviet Union. The lab, however, could not definitely say where the agent was manufactured.

Citing that failure, Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, further muddied the waters, saying in a Facebook post Friday that the Skripals’ pets — two guinea pigs and a cat — had been killed by the British and then cremated to destroy evidence relating to the nerve agent used against Yulia and Sergei Skripal.

“Our sources indicate that BBC television company was aware that pets remained in the house, but for some reason, it concealed this information,” she wrote. “It would be nice to have a clarification. P.S. I’m not drawing any conclusions. This might be just a coincidence. But experiments with nerve agents in Porton Down were conducted specifically on guinea pigs.”

Britain’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said Friday that the house had been sealed after police recognized that the Skripals had been poisoned with a nerve agent. Regrettably, “two guinea pigs had sadly died” by the time someone entered the home to see about the animals, the statement said, and “a cat was also found in a distressed state and a decision was taken by a veterinary surgeon to euthanize the animal to alleviate its suffering.”

One theory shared on Russian social media is that the Skripals were the victims of a vengeance attack by the mother of Yulia’s live-in boyfriend, who reportedly has ties to Russia’s security apparatus. Yulia Skripal’s cousin Viktoria Skripal said she knew nothing about the boyfriend other than he lived with Yulia and that “he’s close to all those structures, you understand.”

The couple’s apartment in the town of Podolsk, just south of Moscow, seemed to have been vacated. Mail had piled up in the letter box and nobody answered the door. Neighbors said he had moved out to his dacha.

Sergei Skripal was a double agent who sold secrets to Britain. He was convicted and jailed in Russia but released in a swap of intelligence agents in 2010.

A version of this story was originally published on washingtonpost.com. Read it here.
Salisbury District Hospital says poisoned spy Sergei Skripal is no longer critically ill, responding well to treatment, and "improving rapidly". His daughter was previously revealed to have regained consciousness.