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SIPA USA/PA Images

Russia threatens to ban all British media from its country if the UK bans Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT

Tensions are rising after the UK said it was likely Russia was behind a recent poisoning attack on an ex-spy.

RUSSIA HAS SAID that it will ban all British media from its country if UK authorities banned the Kremlin-backed RT broadcaster as diplomatic tensions rise in the aftermath of the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in England.

Russia warned the UK to expect reprisals if it announces sanctions over the poisoning of the former double agent, as the US and other allies joined London in demanding answers on how a Soviet-designed nerve agent was used in the attack.

Prime Minister Theresa May says Russia was “highly likely” to be behind the attack, giving Moscow until midnight tonight to provide answers on the 4 March poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted “Russia is not guilty”, saying it was ready to cooperate with Britain but complaining that its request for samples of the nerve agent had been rejected.

The Russian embassy said it had formally demanded the government allow a joint investigation, saying “without that, there can be no sense in any statements from London”.

Earlier, in the first sign of the practical implications of the growing diplomatic crisis, Russia issued its threat in relation to banning British media.

UK regulator Ofcom has warned it could review RT’s licence if Russia were found to have been responsible for the attack on Skripal, who came to Britain in a 2010 spy swap.

The United States, NATO and the European Union have all backed Britain in its stand-off with Moscow, following what is believed to be the first nerve agent attack in Europe since World War II.

In a phone call with May on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said Russia must “provide unambiguous answers”.

The two leaders “agreed on the need for consequences for those who use these heinous weapons in flagrant violation of international norms”, the White House said.

Commenting today, Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney also condemned the attack.

“Ireland condemns this cowardly attack which has taken place on our neighbour’s soil,” Coveney said.

“The use of chemical weapons, including the use of any toxic weapons, is unacceptable and abhorrent.”

He said that the incident “represents a disturbing violation of international law and goes against norms which have long been established”.

Coveney said that Ireland offered its “full support and solidarity to the UK” and would support the UK’s efforts to ensure a thorough investigation.

Allies back Britain

May gave Moscow an ultimatum yesterday to explain whether Skripal’s attempted murder was a state-sponsored attack, or whether it had “lost control” of the nerve agent.

Pharmacology experts said Novichok, a broad category of more than 100 nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union during the late stages of the Cold War, was “more dangerous and sophisticated” than sarin or VX.

May will gather her National Security Council tomorrow morning “to discuss the response from Russia”, and will then give a statement to MPs, her spokesman said.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson vowed that Britain’s response, if it concludes that Russia was responsible, would be “commensurate”.

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said the EU was united in “unwavering” solidarity, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was taking the British accusation “extremely seriously”.

French President Emmanuel Macron said for his part the attack was “unacceptable” and “reaffirmed France’s commitment to fighting impunity when it comes to chemical weapons use”, his office said.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson – sacked by Trump today over disagreements on issues including the Iran nuclear deal – said Washington should do more to respond to “Russia’s troubling behaviour and actions”.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the incident was “of great concern” amid reports that Britain was consulting NATO allies about possibly invoking its Article 5 principle of common defence.

But Moscow today summoned the British ambassador and called the accusations “another dirty attempt by British authorities to discredit Russia”.

The case has prompted comparisons with the 2006 radiation poisoning of former spy and Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko, which a British public inquiry blamed on Russia.

British police and intelligence services are now revisiting a number of deaths of Russians that were considered suspicious, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said.

In a further twist, former senior Russian executive Nikolai Glushkov, linked to late Kremlin opponent Boris Berezovsky, was found dead in London in unexplained circumstances, British and Russian media reported.

© AFP 2018

Explainer: What we know about Russia’s Novichok nerve agents

Read: Moscow calls Britain’s spy attack accusations a ‘dirty attempt to discredit Russia’>

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    Mute David Sinclair
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:12 PM

    If the Cold War starts again then the blame can be firmly laid at the door of the American Democrat party and the western liberal press, no doubt about that, we’ve all seen the proof.
    Incidentally, apparently Vladamir Putin has a personal fortune of some $200 billion stashed around the globe which makes him the wealthiest person on the planet.

    156
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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:17 PM

    @David Sinclair: The Cold War was back on the day Putin first became Prime Minister under Yeltsin. You seem to be forgetting that Putin was KGB during the original Cold War. And said “The Greatest disaster of the 20th Century was the fall of the Soviet Union”.

    85
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    Mute Martin Byrne
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:35 PM

    @David Sinclair: guttersnipe

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    Mute David Sinclair
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    Mar 14th 2018, 2:32 AM

    In their fury over Donald Trump’s political annihilation of Hilary Clinton, their favoured candidate whose political demise at the hands of Trump has caused them no end of embarrassment, the US Democrat Party and western liberal press have created this situation with their insidious and false narrative about Russian interference in the US presidential elections and collusion with the Trump administration.
    This has caused Russia to react in the only manner it knows how.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 14th 2018, 7:03 AM

    @David Sinclair: one thing is clear, there is bipartisan agreement that the interference did happen. The collusion part, I’m not so sure yet, and I definitely don’t think Trump was involved, but they did definitely try to collude, Jr already admitted that and showed the evidence. Russia reacted the only way it knows how? Poisoning almost 40 people in the UK?

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    Mute Andy K
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    Mar 14th 2018, 7:20 AM

    @David Sinclair: “False narrative about Russian interference in the US presidential elections”

    You do know that the FBI concluded that trump won the election due to Russian interference. The only question is whether trump was involved.

    8
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    Mute VladosHat
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    Mar 14th 2018, 7:42 AM

    @Andy K: It wasn’t the Russians that nominated Hillary. That’s the main reason Trump won.

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    Mute Pierre Maanen
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    Mar 14th 2018, 1:17 PM

    @David Sinclair: yes and that is for Vladi a problem. His wealth is not in Russia but around the world. A wrong move and it can be gone in the blink of an eye.

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    Mute Coco86
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:14 PM

    Conspiracy – Britain and EU murder ex Russian spy and then publicly unite in an evil plot to discredit the Kremlin, this will draw attention away from Brexit and create a European utopia

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    Mute Dessie Deratta
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:16 PM

    @Coco86: You think you are being sarcastic!!!

    34
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    Mute Coco86
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:24 PM

    @Dessie Deratta: Stranger things have happened!!

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:10 PM

    @Coco86: Europe is only too happy to highlight Brexit. They hold all the cards. Also, most Russians live in Europe.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:17 PM

    @Coco86: Brexit negotiations are going to carry on for another year. So this is not going to alter anything.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:23 PM

    @Coco86: Brexit negotiations are going to be going on for aother year so it would be a pointless exercise.

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    Mute Jamie Jj Tobin
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:07 PM

    I would believe Waterford Whispers News more than UK, American or RT media… And as for RTE i have no words for that shite!

    238
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    Mute David Forde
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:13 PM

    @neilo: Mulder and Scully. Truth is out there!

    42
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    Mute Sean Beinead
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:25 PM

    @Jamie Jj Tobin: 100% agree

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    Mute Dessie Deratta
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:32 PM

    @neilo: The contempt for RTE (as distinct from RT) here is…very admirable!

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:03 PM

    @neilo: TV3

    11
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    Mute Simon O'Connor
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:38 PM

    @neilo: Fox News and Breitbart

    4
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    Mute PutinBot 5001
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    Mar 13th 2018, 11:06 PM

    @neilo: You can get your news from regular sources and still use your own judgement, be aware of the spin and agenda and do your best to see through it. There’s no magic news source that’s always right and accurate. They all have their faults.

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    Mute nick mullen
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    Mar 13th 2018, 11:08 PM

    @Sean Beinead: same here their totally censored

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 14th 2018, 7:05 AM

    @PutinBot 5001: yes but where does someone that doesn’t trust any American news, any UK news, RT or RTÉ get their multiple sources to get an accurate picture?

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    Mute Danny Ponders
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:34 PM

    Funny how Israeli agents kill blow up Iranian scientists and it’s not on BBC NEWS or SKY NEWS or RTE yet when Russian agents do something it’s all over the news and papers funny how the Israeli’s can do it and Russians can’t so much for democracy.

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    Mute Sean Beinead
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:38 PM

    @Danny Ponders: 100% thats because its selective outrage,one mans friend is anothers foe and all that BS.

    54
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    Mute Tony Dowling
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:03 PM

    @Danny Ponders: em, maybe because BBC and Sky are British and not Iranian they are more likely to report on stuff that happens in Britain than in Iran. Stab in the dark.

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    Mute Danny Ponders
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:09 PM

    @Tony Dowling: Sky News reports world news and never shows children in Palestine been shot at and shot dead by Israeli soilders free Palestine from the child murdering gouverment in Tel Aviv and give Golan Heights The Farms and all Palestinian land back evil child killers.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Mar 14th 2018, 12:16 AM

    @Danny Ponders: Did the Isreali Ageņt’s blow up Iranian Scientists in the UK? When did that happen? Now Russian Agents have poisoned people in the UK on several occasions. Hence the interest of UK media in one story and not the other.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 14th 2018, 12:21 AM

    @Mick Jordan: also the fact that British people were harmed in the attack.

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    Mute Bart Teeling
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:40 PM

    Israel stole Irish passports to murder Palestinians .. That rogue state gets a pass though..

    61
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    Mute gregory
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    Mar 14th 2018, 2:05 AM

    @Bart Teeling: The UK USA and France destroyed an entire country killing directly and indirectly huge numbers of people – Libya. Report on that 4 a change so-called Liberal media.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 14th 2018, 7:06 AM

    @Bart Teeling: do you understand what jurisdiction is?

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    Mute Dessie Deratta
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:13 PM

    Very proportionate response…the least we could expect.

    Obviously UK democracy can’t cope with free speech.

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    Mute Dessie Deratta
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:26 PM

    @Fake Avast: Not very many it would appear…but there is a principle at stake!

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:07 PM

    @Dessie Deratta: yeah, no worries about the 38 people treated for poisoning. Let’s rage about the propaganda wing of Team Putin being kicked out. Also, free speech has never existed in Russia, and democracy may have briefly existed but it was just a phase.

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    Mute Anne Marie Devlin
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:11 PM

    @Fake Avast: It’s very popular. Russian language BBC has a strong foothold

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    Mute Daddy Long Legs
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:58 PM

    Iraq also definitely had WMD’s. Isn’t that right Britain.

    62
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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Mar 13th 2018, 11:30 PM

    @Daddy Long Legs: Mr Mirayanov was one of the scientists that helped create the Novichuk Range of Nerve Agents. Here is what he had to say.

    “I find it “unthinkable” that any another country or non-state actor could have had access to this chemical weapon or the expertise to manufacture and deploy it only Russia could do this,”

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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Mar 14th 2018, 1:24 AM

    @Daddy Long Legs: you mean Tony Blair, not the country you muppet

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    Mute Sean Conway
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    Mar 14th 2018, 8:41 AM

    @Daddy Long Legs: Exactly. blame russia. not US/ british corporate greed.

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    Mute Harry Whitehead
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    Mar 14th 2018, 5:36 PM

    @Sean Conway: Corporate greed? Lolwhut? Seriously what do US/UK multinationals have to do with this story? Did you lift that from Alec Baldwin’s speech in Team America?

    1
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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Mar 14th 2018, 9:10 PM

    @Daddy Long Legs: Remember Dr David Kelly committing suicide in the woods but he cut too deep into his wrists to be able to use either hand to hold anything at all. It was stated Israel’s mosad did it as a favour for MI6…

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:19 PM

    So the attempted murders are done before a Russian election, on a foreign land / country to people that don’t matter anymore and before a Saudi Prince visit hummm?
    Does this not feel staged especially when those in safety wear and masks stand beside police not wearing the same gear and then the likes of Boris blames Russia and yet the other day Sky News science journalist stated that British Intelligence has a supply of the nerve gas that they made themselves as a test amount… I think Boris is not being honest…
    The giveaway is how Boris Johnstons voice changes when he thinks he is telling lies, the bigger the lie the lower the volume of his speech unless its a normal lie for him and he shouts it out then but remember that the worst enemies Russia has is Saudi Arabia and Ukraine. They tried to say that there was Russian tanks in Ukraine when they were always Russian tanks in Ukraine because they dated from the 1980′s and were USSR tanks? So who knows? The MP’s are scared of RT as there is some more MP pedo stories to break about Northern Ireland still???

    37
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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:28 PM

    @Alois Irlmaier: you’re definitely giving Boris too much credit.

    16
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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:30 PM

    @Alois Irlmaier: you’re definitely giving Boris too much credit

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Mar 13th 2018, 11:10 PM

    @Dave O Keeffe: Alois is just parroting the Kremlin line.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 14th 2018, 12:08 AM

    Sorry for the double post, got an error message first time and the comment didn’t show up after refreshing

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    Mute Harry Whitehead
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    Mar 14th 2018, 5:39 PM

    @Alois Irlmaier: Your facts are about as good as your grasp of English, comrade. Let that sink in for a moment.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Mar 14th 2018, 9:00 PM

    @Mick Jordan: Putin can do his own lines… https://www.facebook.com/inthenow/videos/987590074724695/

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Mar 14th 2018, 9:07 PM

    @Harry Whitehead: So your saying that it doesn’t matter what the truth is because what matters is believing the group you want to belong to even if that brings us close to WW3? Peoples views comes from what they want to believe and not in right or wrong or in facts, many just get brain washed by their own countries media. So tell me what your facts are to blame Russia for this? As the last poisoning they were blamed for, turned out that his father said that he got alcohol poisoning for being an out of control alcoholic…

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    Mute @mdmak33
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:35 PM

    The said poison is stored in a factory 8 miles up the road from where this incident happened.but blame russia.

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    Mute Malachi
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    Mar 13th 2018, 11:00 PM

    @@mdmak33: What?

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Mar 13th 2018, 11:17 PM

    @@mdmak33: Actually it’s not. It’s exclusive to Russia.

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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Mar 14th 2018, 1:26 AM

    @@mdmak33: fake comment

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    Mute Pat Patovic
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    Mar 14th 2018, 2:01 PM

    @Mick Jordan: Nope it is not. USA got their hands on it many years ago when they financed and carried out dismantling of a factory where it was produced in Uzbekistan. It went global from there.
    Try harder you clearly suffer from some sort of russophobia.
    What happened? Have you been recently rejected by some nice russian gal or is it just some hate without any logical reason?

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    Mute Irish Bob
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    Mar 14th 2018, 3:46 PM

    @Pat Patovic: Dead right, you would swear that these anti Russia mppets on here had audited every bio-chemical lab in the UK and US. Of vcourse they believe every word from UK and US gov’s even though history has shown many times that the last thing the UK and US Gov tell there people in the truth.
    How many Russian Military Bases are there outside Russia and how many American Military Bases are there ? see who is the aggressor then..
    Oh and shock horror spies getting killed !!!

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Mar 14th 2018, 9:00 PM

    @Malachi: Did you not know the UK has its own batch of it… As Ukraine would have as well…

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Mar 14th 2018, 9:13 PM

    @Mick Jordan: Sky Science corresponded stated the other night that the UK had a stock of this to compare it to any attack in the UK that could happen and which it was used in. Ukraine would have it as well as well as the US.

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    Mute Paul Kielty
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:17 PM

    So the spy is posioned by a toxic nerve agent made in Russia and available only in Russia. Does it seem a bit obvious or was the KGB deception and stealth class snowed off?

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    Mute Dessie Deratta
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:22 PM

    @Paul Kielty: Yeah…they should probably have taken him out with a drone strike…vastly more collateral damage (aka – dead innocents) but the approved Western form of killing people in foreign sovereign states…

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:15 PM

    @Dessie Deratta: eh 38 people have been treated for poisoning so far

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    Mute Paul Kielty
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    Mar 13th 2018, 11:55 PM

    @Dessie Deratta: The point i am making is that there doesn’t seem to be any attempt to hide who is responsible. All fingers point to Russia in the most obvious way possible.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 14th 2018, 12:07 AM

    @Paul Kielty: gives the impression to the electorate that the reach of the Union is vast and powerful.

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    Mute Paul Kielty
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    Mar 14th 2018, 8:44 AM

    @Dave O Keeffe: I like the false flag conspiracy theory myself. Do Russia have much to gain from this attack? Not like Putin is going to lose an election. Good excuse for the UK to take all the dirty money in London to task.

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    Mute Sean Beinead
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:15 PM

    Things are about to get a whole lot interesting

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    Mute @mdmak33
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:37 PM

    The said poison is stored in a factory 8 miles up the road from where this incident happened.but sure blame russia anyway,it sounds good.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Mar 13th 2018, 11:34 PM

    @@mdmak33: Vil Mirayanov was one of the scientists that helped create the Novichuk Range of Nerve Agents. Here is what he had to say.

    “I find it “unthinkable” that any another country or non-state actor could have had access to this chemical weapon or the expertise to manufacture and deploy it only Russia could do this,”

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    Mute gregory
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    Mar 14th 2018, 2:17 AM

    @Mick Jordan: Where did he say that? If he said it is unthinkable this does not mean to say it is impossible. All the dodgy agencies in the Top Spy have such nerve agents to kill people. This Agent did actually work for British Intelligence. Did he create any enemies while carrying out that role? Was he compromised to the extent that British Intelligence could no longer trust him? How would Russia benefit from his demise so many years after the spy swap meaning it was in the interest of Russia to neutralize him prior to sharing Russian secrets all those years ago?

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 14th 2018, 7:11 AM

    @gregory: you ask that of the country that sent an agent to Mexico to ice pick Trotsky. They have a history of this. Putin himself promised traitors would choke on their thirty pieces of silver in the same year as the spy swap.

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    Mute Pat Patovic
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    Mar 14th 2018, 2:14 PM

    @Mick Jordan: Fake news. Consult Wikipedia.
    One of the key manufacturing sites was the Soviet State Scientific Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology (GosNIIOKhT) in Nukus, Soviet Uzbekistan. Small, experimental batches of the weapons may have been tested on the nearby Ustyurt plateau. It may also have been tested in a research centre in Krasnoarmeysk near Moscow. Precursor chemicals were made at the Pavlodar Chemical Plant in Soviet Kazakhstan, which was also thought to be the intended Novichok weapons production site, until its still under construction chemical warfare agent production building was demolished in 1987 in view of the forthcoming Chemical Weapons Convention.

    Since its independence in 1991, Uzbekistan has been working with the government of the United States to dismantle and decontaminate the sites where the Novichok agents and other chemical weapons were tested and developed. Between 1999 and 2002 the United States Department of Defense dismantled the major research and testing site for Novichok at the Chemical Research Institute in Nukus, under a $6 million Cooperative Threat Reduction program.

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    Mute Radioska
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:09 PM

    I’m not a spy and am not involved in espionage but surely there’s better ways than nerve gas unless you want to make a world reported political point. Funny things happen (you die) to most that stand in Putins way. I would be far more worried about future world diplomacy than the abstract fear of fundamentalist terrorism.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Mar 13th 2018, 11:16 PM

    @Radioska: That’s the thing. It was done to send two messages. One to Russians in exile the other to Western Governments. Shooting him and his daughter could be anyone. Using Nerve Agent like this is definitely state sanctioned.

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    Mute Martin Dale
    Favourite Martin Dale
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    Mar 13th 2018, 10:20 PM

    Don’t mess with the Russians !

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alois Irlmaier
    Favourite Alois Irlmaier
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    Mar 14th 2018, 9:13 PM

    @Martin Dale: MI6 either.

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    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute kevinhunt101
    Favourite kevinhunt101
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:27 PM

    Reckon commies

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    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dessie Deratta
    Favourite Dessie Deratta
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    Mar 13th 2018, 9:31 PM

    @kevinhunt101: Commies? Who they?

    12
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