The daughter of a Russian double agent who was poisoned along with her father in a chemical attack in March has been discharged from the hospital, a British health official said Tuesday.
Yulia and Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russia’s military intelligence service, were discovered unconscious on a public bench in Salisbury, England, on March 4. The pair had been exposed to a deadly nerve agent, leaving both in critical condition for several weeks.
Though doctors initially feared the Skripals were in danger of permanent brain damage, Yulia’s condition has improved to the point where she can leave the hospital.
“This is not the end of her treatment but marks a significant milestone,” said Dr. Christine Blanshard, medical director of Salisbury District Hospital, according to The Associated Press.
Sergei remains hospitalized, but doctors say he is progressing rapidly after coming close to death after the attack.
“Her father has also made good progress,” Blanshard said. “On Friday I announced he was no longer in a critical condition. Although he is recovering more slowly than Yulia, we hope that he too will be able to leave hospital in due course.”
The Skripal incident sparked a major diplomatic dispute between Britain and Russia, driving relations between the two governments to a post-Cold War low. Both countries have expelled dozens of each other’s diplomats and suspended high-level bilateral engagement.
Britain says the chemical used in the attack is Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent. An investigation by British chemical specialists found that the Novichok was likely made by a “state actor” but did not identify the precise source. The Kremlin denies involvement and has insinuated Britain carried out the attack itself to gin up anti-Russian hysteria.
British officials have not said where Yulia was taken following her release. When she is well enough, police and intelligence officers are likely to questioned her about the events leading up to her poisoning.
The Sunday Times reported over the weekend that the Skripals will be given new identities and resettled in the U.S. after they are fully recovered. Russia says it would consider such a move an “abduction.”
Sergei has been living in England since 2010, when he was handed over to British authorities in a swap for Russian spies caught in the U.S. He was arrested by Russia in 2004 on charges of spying for Britain’s MI6 intelligence service.
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