Sergei almost died after he and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with Novichok on March 4, 2018. The audio, which was revealed today by the newspaper, stated: "Hi, Vikulya [pet name for Viktoria], it is uncle Seryozha [Sergei]. "But well... Congratulations to you on the holiday, wish you all the best! Ex-GRU double agent Skripal has not spoken since he was poisoned with chemical agent Novichok at his home in Salisbury on March 4, 2018. Britain claims Skripal’s former spy service the GRU carried out an assassination bid on him by leaving traces of deadly nerve agent Novichok on his door handle which led to his and Yulia’s poisoning.

Source: Daily Mirror May 23, 2019 13:05 UTC