Disinfo: Nerve agent used in Salisbury was too toxic to be carried in a perfume bottle

Summary

The assumption that the toxic agent had been transported in an ordinary bottle of perfume looked weird, the Russian Ambassador to the United Nations said at the Security Council. “According to reports by OPCW experts, including those related to Amesbury incident, this substance is very toxic and dangerous, and can be carried only in special reinforced containers. Otherwise, the transporter will be the first to be harmed,” he added.

Disproof

According to pharmacology experts, this nerve agent is very stable and it was designed that it could be relatively easily transported. Further debunking by the Insider theins.ru/antifake/116322, Background: Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation on Salisbury attack. euvsdisinfo.eu/disinformation-cases/?text=skripal&disinfo_issue=&date= Many competing and contradictory stories promulgated by Russian state-controlled media on the Skripal poisoning https://euvsdisinfo.eu/disinformation-cases/?text=sergei+skripal&disinfo_issue=&date= On Sunday 4 March Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned in Salisbury with a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia. As for the scar on her throat, news outlets, including the BBC and Telegraph, have described it as a result of a tracheotomy, a surgical procedure which opens a hole in a person's windpipe to help them breathe. She has not shared specifics of her treatment, but described it as "invasive, painful, and depressing." http://uk.businessinsider.com/skripal-poisoning-yulia-skripal-neck-scar-hints-at-painful-recovery-2018-5?r=US&IR=T For the UK response see: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/novichok-nerve-agent-use-in-salisbury-uk-government-response The OPCW have confirmed the UK findings in the case. "The results of the analysis by the OPCW designated laboratories of environmental and biomedical samples collected by the OPCW team confirm the findings of the United Kingdom relating to the identity of the toxic chemical that was used in Salisbury and severely injured three people." https://www.opcw.org/news/article/opcw-issues-report-on-technical-assistance-requested-by-the-united-kingdom/

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 117
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 07/09/2018
  • Outlet language(s) English
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: UK, Russia
  • Keywords: Amesbury poisoning, Sergei Skripal, UN
see more

Disinfo: The US delegation impressed by Crimea

Members of the American delegation were very impressed by Crimea during their official visit. Crimea is regularly visited by foreign delegations.

Disproof

Recurring narrative in pro-Kremlin media euvsdisinfo.eu/disinformation-cases/?text=delegation+crimea&disinfo_issue=&date=, This wasn't an official delegation. It's a visit of some representatives of the American Center for Citizen Initiatives. According to the official position of the U.S. Department of State, the United States refuses to recognize "the Kremlin’s claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force in contravention of international law". It "rejects Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored".

Disinfo: The West is organising information attacks to weaken Russia's economy

[Context: UK releasing information on Salisbury poisoning] these information attacks were clearly designed long ago as a pretext to weaken Russia economically.

Disproof

Many competing and contradictory stories promulgated by Russian state-controlled media, the only connecting thread being to confuse their audience and exclude any possibility of Russian involvement. euvsdisinfo.eu/disinformation-cases/?text=sergei+skripal&disinfo_issue=&date= and euvsdisinfo.eu/report/porton-down-might-be-responsible-for-the-chemical-attack-in-the-uk/, On September 5, UK counter-terrorism police released images of two suspects in connections with the Salisbury attack. news.met.police.uk/news/counter-terrorism-police-release-images-of-two-suspects-in-connection-with-salisbury-attack-320534, , www.bbc.com/news/uk-45421445, On September 6, France, Germany, US and Canada stated that they have full confidence in the British assessment that the two suspects were officers from the Russian military intelligence service, also known as the GRU, and that this operation was almost certainly approved at a senior government level. www.gov.uk/government/news/salisbury-attack-joint-statement-by-leaders-of-france-germany-the-united-states-canada-and-the-united-kingdom, Background: The toxin was identified as a nerve agent at Porton Down, which is Britain's military research base. They have not done tests with nerve agents since 1989, but are still able to identify these toxins, in order to protect British civilians and troops from attacks www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-43335148/porton-down-britain-s-secret-research-facility The nerve agent has been identified as Novichok (which means newcomer in Russian). It is known to be more powerful than VX and was developed in Russia in the 1970s and 1980s www.voanews.com/a/british-prime-minister-russia-poisoning-spy/4294683.html. It's so unusual, that very few scientists outside of Russia have any real experience in dealing with it and no country outside of Russia is known to have developed the substance edition.cnn.com/2018/03/13/europe/what-is-novichok-nerve-agent-intl/index.html, theconversation.com/what-we-know-about-novichok-the-newby-nerve-agents-linked-to-russia-93264 In its statement, the European Union expressed shock at the offensive use of any military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia, for the first time on European soil in over 70 years. www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2018/03/19/statement-by-the-foreign-affairs-council-on-the-salisbury-attack/

Disinfo: Salisbury attack: British secret services fabricated the evidence to blackmail Russia

[Three different commentators of a TV show state:] British secret services fabricated the evidence of Salisbury attack to blackmail Russia. — British secret services are among the best in the world. The Skripal case was a political order; which they had to fulfill. — Why do all these horrible events only happen in Britain? The reason is British secret services who mastermind them.

Disproof

No evidence given. Many competing and contradictory stories promulgated by Russian state-controlled media, the only connecting thread being to confuse their audience and exclude any possibility of Russian involvement. euvsdisinfo.eu/disinformation-cases/?text=sergei+skripal&disinfo_issue=&date= and euvsdisinfo.eu/report/porton-down-might-be-responsible-for-the-chemical-attack-in-the-uk/, On September 5, UK counter-terrorism police released images of two suspects in connection with the Salisbury attack. news.met.police.uk/news/counter-terrorism-police-release-images-of-two-suspects-in-connection-with-salisbury-attack-320534, , www.bbc.com/news/uk-45421445, On September 6, France, Germany, US and Canada stated that they have full confidence in the British assessment that the two suspects were officers from the Russian military intelligence service, also known as the GRU, and that this operation was almost certainly approved at a senior government level. www.gov.uk/government/news/salisbury-attack-joint-statement-by-leaders-of-france-germany-the-united-states-canada-and-the-united-kingdom, Background: The toxin was identified as a nerve agent at Porton Down, which is Britain's military research base. They have not done tests with nerve agents since 1989, but are still able to identify these toxins, in order to protect British civilians and troops from attacks www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-43335148/porton-down-britain-s-secret-research-facility The nerve agent has been identified as Novichok (which means newcomer in Russian). It is known to be more powerful than VX and was developed in Russia in the 1970s and 1980s www.voanews.com/a/british-prime-minister-russia-poisoning-spy/4294683.html. It's so unusual, that very few scientists outside of Russia have any real experience in dealing with it and no country outside of Russia is known to have developed the substance edition.cnn.com/2018/03/13/europe/what-is-novichok-nerve-agent-intl/index.html, theconversation.com/what-we-know-about-novichok-the-newby-nerve-agents-linked-to-russia-93264 In its statement, the European Union expressed shock at the offensive use of any military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia, for the first time on European soil in over 70 years. www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2018/03/19/statement-by-the-foreign-affairs-council-on-the-salisbury-attack/