Olivier Lepick, an expert on chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, sat down with RT to chat discuss the potency of nerve agents following the reported recovery of the Skirpals.
Lepick, from the Foundation for Strategic Research, told RT’s Daniel Hawkins that Novichok is “very toxic” and “five to eight times more toxic than VX” – better known as ‘venomous agent X,’ a killer chemical weapon first discovered at Porton Down in England during the early 1950s.
“A small amount [of Novichok] should have killed Mr Skripal for sure,” Lepick said.
“What is still very difficult to assess today is how the Novichok was delivered to the victim. Before we know how it was delivered to the victim, it is very difficult to assess the amount of the chemical agent that was in contact with [them].”
Yulia Skripal and her father were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury on March 4, after they were attacked with an A-234 nerve agent, similar to Novichok. The director of Salisbury District Hospital said on Tuesday that Yulia had been discharged and her father’s health is improving.
On Wednesday, Porton Down Chief Executive Gary Aitkenhead revealed that the laboratory was unable to confirm the origin of the chemical agent used in the attack. Aitkenhead’s comments came after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a German TV interview that Porton Down had said the substance used to poison the Skripals was unequivocally Russian.
Media reports suggest that the US is prepared to resettle the Skripals with new identities. Russia’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, has warned that such a move points to the CIA’s role in the poisoning saga and could see the Skripals disappear without providing key evidence on the case.
Yulia was released from hospital on Monday, with senior staff from the Salisbury District medical team telling the media that they hope Sergei will also be discharged in “due course.”
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