No evidence given. Russia's long-running claim that the UK Government is keeping the Skripals in prison-like conditions fits the broader pro-Kremlin narrative painting the Salisbury poisoning as an anti-Russian conspiracy.

The story draws on a recent report published by the Russian Embassy in London, which cites the Skripals' low media profile as evidence of their unlawful detention. The claim shifts the burden of disproving Moscow's unfounded accusation on the UK, and is thus an argument from ignorance.

The article also claims that, in an address recorded on 23 May 2018, Yulia was made to "read from a prepared text which had obviously been pre-written in English" and translated to Russian, implying that the woman is effectively held hostage. The assertion has been rebutted by an expert in Russian linguistics.