Salisbury Incident
Presented on March 22
SALISBURY INCIDENT Moscow 22 March 2018
Timeline Slide 1 4 March: Three people exposed to a nerve agent in Salisbury 200m KEY LOCATIONS 8 March: UK Delegation to the OPCW informed the Technical Secretariat that two people had been taken seriously ill 12 March: Prime Minister publicly identified the substance used as a Novichok nerve agent. Russian Ambassador asked to explain Skripal’s house 13 March: Midnight deadline expired. No explanation received 14 March: Prime Minister set out the UK’s response 14 March: Prime Minister wrote to the OPCW Zizzi restaurant Shopping centre 18 March: Russia announced retaliatory action 19 March: OPCW team arrived in the UK Bishop’s Mill pub 20 March: 23 undeclared Russian intelligence officers expelled from the UK
A New Phase of Russia Aggression Slide 2 • Military-grade Novichok nerve agent positively identified by experts at the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, an OPCW-accredited and designated laboratory • Novichok is a group of agents developed only by Russia and not declared under the CWC • A violation of the fundamental prohibition on the use of chemical weapons (Art. 1 CWC) • First offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War • We are without doubt that Russia is responsible. No country bar Russia has combined capability, intent and motive. There is no plausible alternative explanation • As of Sunday 18 March, we count over thirty parallel lines of Russian disinformation “Based on this capability, combined with their record of conducting state sponsored assassinations – including against former intelligence officers whom they regard as legitimate targets - the UK Government concluded it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for this reckless and despicable act.” Prime Minister Theresa May, 14 March
Effects of Novichok Slide 3 • Novichok interferes with the normal functioning of the nervous system. If untreated, it will cause death by asphyxiation or cardiac arrest • Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia Skripal, and UK policeman Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey remain in hospital • 51 people have been assessed in hospital • 131 civilians have potentially been in contact with the nerve agent • 250 specialist counter-terrorism officers involved in the investigation • 180 military personnel were deployed
ALongPatternofRussianMalignActivity Slide 4 May 2015 June 2017 August 2008 Bundestag NotPetya Invasion of hack cyber November Georgia ransomware 17 July 2014 2015 to 2016 attack 2006 MH-17 shot Danish Assassination down killing all Defence of Alexander 283 Ministry hack Litvinenko February 2014 passengers January 2016 March 2018 Occupation of The ‘Lisa Case’ Attempted Crimea; disinformation assassination destabilisation campaign of Sergey and May 2007 of Ukraine June 2015 to against Julia Skripal DDoSattack November Germany October 2016 disables 2016 Coup attempt in Estonia’s Interference in Montenegro internet US election
UK’s Measured and Proportionate Response Slide 5 • Attribution to the Russian State • Dismantling of the network of Russian intelligence operatives in the UK • Suspension of all planned bilateral contacts • Enhanced Border Controls • Tackling Criminality and Corruption • New Legislation • Other measures to Counter Hostile State Activity