'I Think Skripal Attempted Murder Staged by US, UK Intel'

Political scientist Basam Raja has explained to Sputnik what British intelligence might have gained from former Russian spy Sergei Skripal’s “attempted murder.”

Commenting on the heightened tensions between Russia and the UK, Raja said that recent “media and political attacks on Moscow by London are directly linked to the former’s advances in liberating Eastern Ghouta from militants.” According to him, the UK, France and the United States are “doing their utmost to halt the offensive on terrorists throughout Syrian territory.”

“We’ve seen these countries attempting to fuel war in Ukraine, thus striking a blow to Russia. They have repeatedly tried to force Moscow out of Syria, imposing umpteen economic sanctions and creating a restrictions list. They tried to influence Russia through the UN Security Council, raising, for instance, the issue of chemical weapons, however, they failed even to conduct an unbiased investigation into the matter,” Raja elaborated.

Moreover, the expert has suggested that the recent attack on Russia was controlled and orchestrated by the United States.

“I think that Skripal’s attempted murder was staged by the US and the UK intelligence services, and Donald Trump was aware of it. My conclusion is based on my reflections on who may take advantage of the killing. They may gain from accusing Russia of it. The Unites States and Great Britain want to undermine Russia’s position in the UNSC,” Raja proceeded to say, adding that they were explicitly exerting pressure on Moscow because of its success in Syria.

Washington Seeks to Restore Unipolar World
Meanwhile, Russian journalist Andrey Ontikov shares Raja’s views, insisting that Russia did not “let Western countries oust the Syrian government.”

“But aggressive Western policies towards Moscow are based on a greater reason, namely Crimea’s reunification with Russia. People in the West say that the sanctions imposed on Russia are detrimental to them and ask them to lift the restrictions. We, however, might expect bilateral sanctionsto be strengthened following the Skripal incident,” Ontikov stressed.

In addition, the journalist emphasized that Washington is seeking to reestablish the unipolar world order, which was replaced with a multipolar model after Russia’s military operation in Syria. According to him, such developments prevent the US from pursuing its interests.

On March 4, former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious after being exposed to a chemical substance, later identified by UK police as the military-grade nerve agent Novichok, allegedly developed in Russia. British authorities have accused Moscow of “attempted murder,” although declined Russia’s request to provide samples of the substance in question as evidence.

UK Ignores OPCW Commitment in Skripal Incident - Analyst
In response to the alleged attack, UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced the largest expulsion of Russian diplomats from the country since the Cold War. Moscow, for its part, has taken reciprocal measures, declaring 23 British diplomats personae non gratae, with the Foreign Ministry revoking its agreement on the UK General Consulate’s operation in St. Petersburg.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik.

Source URL