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UK Divulging Sensitive Data on Chemical Weapons, Russian Embassy Suspects

LONDON (Sputnik) - UK authorities appear to have shared classified data on an alleged weapons-grade toxin, after denying Russia access to this information, the Russian Embassy suspects.
Sputnik

The United Kingdom has repeatedly refused to share samples or answer Russia’s questions about a nerve agent called A234, but Vladimir Uglev, a former Soviet scientist who claims to have created it, told BBC he had been sent "spectrum data" on the toxin.

"This is quite an extraordinary statement. It essentially means that a private citizen has been provided with the information that the Russian Side has not been able to obtain from the British authorities for weeks," the mission said in a statement.

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The embassy added that, if confirmed, this would be a "gross violation" of rules set by the global chemical weapons watchdog, OPCW. The diplomatic mission said they had asked the UK Foreign Office to comment.

British investigators reportedly believe that the nerve agent was used last month to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia at their Salisbury home. The British government has blamed Russia for the chemical attack but has not provided any proof. Russia denies the claim.

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