Yulia Skripal has made her first statement since being released from the hospital after a near-fatal poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok. “My life has been turned upside down,” the daughter of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal told Reuters in Russian, speaking from a secret location in London, where she is under protection from the British state. She made a formal statement on camera and signed a document written in Russian and English, verifying that she is the author of the statement. “We are so lucky to have both survived this attempted assassination," she said in her statement. “Our recovery has been slow and extremely painful.” She declined to discuss the details of her recovery but said in Russian that treatment for the poisoning was “invasive, painful and depressing.” (Much has been made by some of a scar visible on her neck.)
Yulia Skripal, 33, and her father were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury on March 4. Yulia was in a coma for 20 days and was discharged in April. Sergei, 66, was discharged last week. A Kremlin spokesman said he thought Yulia Skripal was speaking under duress, but Yulia denied that. “No one speaks for me, or for my father but ourselves,” she said. Yulia has declined Russia’s request that she meet with Russia’s ambassador in London. “As I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally, she said in her statement, “I take one day at a time and want to help care for my Dad till his full recovery.” She said she hopes one day to return to Russia. Work to decontaminate the Wiltshire city where the two were poisoned is still underway, reports the BBC. (More Yulia Skripal stories.)
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