Russian spy Sergei Skripal WAS poisoned through his car air vents with powdered Novichok nerve agent and at least 38 other people are sick from it, Americans reveal
Ex-Russian spy and daughter Yulia may have inhaled ‘dust-like’ form of Novichok
American officials said they had ‘clearer picture’ of how attack was orchestrated
They say powdered form of the substance was delivered through BMW air vents
It comes amid separate claims that Yulia, 33, was dating a Russian secret agent
Here are 20 different narratives offered (so far) by Russian media and officials for the poisoning:
The United Kingdom did it to fuel anti-Russian sentiment (source: Russia 1 TV channel)
Ukraine did it to frame Russia (Russia 1)
The United States did it to destabilize the world (Russia 1)
Theresa May helped orchestrate the attack because she is a friend of CIA director Gina Haspel (Zvezda)
It was an attempted suicide (Russia 1)
It was an accidental overdose (RIA Novosti)
It was due to accidental exposure from Britain’s Porton Down research facility (Russia 24 TV channel)
The Porton Down lab carried out illicit human testing and is lying about not producing Novichok (RT)
Skripal’s future mother-in-law did it (Moskovsky Komsomolets: mk.ru)
Terrorists did it (Russian ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson)
American-British financier Bill Browder — blacklisted in Russia for denouncing corruption — did it (Russia 1)
A drone did it (Zvezda and Russian defense ministry)
Skripal was a chemical weapons smuggler (Pravda)
The West is using the case to deflect attention from Russia’s successes in Syria (Russian ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson)
Britain is using the case to deflect attention from Brexit (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Russian UN ambassador, Russian OSCE ambassador)
The attack was an attempt by a rival faction to undermine Vladimir Putin (state TV)
Russia has destroyed all its stockpiles of Novichok (Sputnik)
Russia never developed Novichok (Interfax)
Only the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Sweden have Novichok (Russian ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson). All three countries have denied the claim.
There is no evidence that the nerve agent used against the Skripals was Novichok, Porton Down lab is struggling to identify the substance (RT)