The UK authorities have moved with impressive speed to identify the individuals who attempted to murder Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury in the March poison attack. The presentation of hard evidence has left the Kremlin looking flat-footed – it had openly mocked the British government’s assertions that Russia was behind the plot. It has good reason to fear a symmetrical Russian response. The UK has already received the strongest possible support from its EU and Nato allies in response to the Skripal affair. • John Lough is an associate fellow of the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House, and a former Nato representative in Russia

Source: The Guardian September 06, 2018 13:07 UTC