'Russia would never be so INCOMPETENT!' Expert denies Moscow involvement in spy poisoning
A RUSSIAN chemical weapons expert claims he has evidence to show Moscow was not to blame for the nerve agent attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia - and insists the fact they are still alive proves it.
An investigator in protective clothing gathers evidence in Salisbury
Leonid Rink, who worked on the development of the neurotoxin Novichok used in the Salisbury attack on March 4, said their were four arguments proving Russia’s innocence.
He said: "First of all, Russia had no motive whatsoever. That's obvious.
"Mr Skripal had already been fully exploited by both sides: he told the Russians all his contacts in England, the British everything he knew in the USSR."
The deadly nerve agent Novichok was used in the Salisbury attack
It is ridiculous to assume that the alleged saboteurs would be so incompetent
Mr Rink said secondly, the poisoning, which came just days before the Russian presidential election and three months before the country hosts the football World Cup, would not have benefited Vladimir Putin’s regime.
He said: “Thirdly, the fact that all those affected are still alive speaks against a Russian involvement.
“It is ridiculous to assume that the alleged saboteurs would be so incompetent."
Boris Johnson has again insisted Russia is to blame for the attack
Mr Rink continued: “But the fourth and most important thing, however, is that no Russian saboteur, and not even such an incompetent one, would have used a substance of Russian origin and with a Russian label.
"There are plenty of other, suitable substances for that.
"As if they had hit someone with a powerful rocket and missed the target - the height of stupidity!"
The police investigation in Salisbury continues
Mr Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter remain in a critical condition in hospital more than three weeks after the attack, which sparked a huge police investigation and international outrage.
British security services believe Russia was behind the attack but Moscow has rejected the accusations and demanded the UK offers proof of Kremlin involvement or an apology.
Theresa May has hit back at Mr Putin's dismissal of the British Government's claim that Russia was responsible for the attack.
Her comments followed strong words from Boris Johnson, who accused Russia of trying to conceal "the needle of truth in a haystack of lies" over the case - after Mr Putin dismissed the idea of Russian responsibility as "nonsense".