Yulia Skripal, the daughter of former Russian spy Sergei Skirpal, has been discharged from the British hospital where the pair were being treated for a nerve-agent attack just over a month ago.
The medical director of Salisbury District Hospital, Chrisine Blanshard, said Yulia Skripal would require further treatment but that the development was a “significant milestone.” Her father was making “good progress,” Blanshard said.
The Skripals were found slumped on a bench on March 4 in the city of Salisbury after being exposed to a military-grade nerve agent, British authorities said. The UK government blames Russia for the attack, but Moscow has denied any involvement.
Yulia Skripal, 33, regained consciousness in late March and released a statement last week thanking those who treated her and father and those who had sent “messages of goodwill.”
“Yulia has asked for privacy from the media and I want to reiterate that request,” Blanshard said in a statement delivered outside the hospital on Tuesday. Blanshard made no mention of Skripal’s present location, and London’s Metropolitan Police refused to comment on whether she was receiving police protection.
“I also want to take this opportunity to wish Yulia well,” Blanshard said. “This is not the end of her treatment, but marks a significant milestone.”
Blanshard added that the condition of Sergei Skripal, 66 was still improving, albeit at a slower pace than that of Yulia.
“Her father has also made good progress,” she said. “On Friday, I announced that 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.”
Blanshard said victims of nerve-agent attacks typically suffered symptoms such as sickness and hallucinations. Medical staff at Salisbury were able to draw on support from “world-leading experts” in the field of nerve agents and the Skripals had responded “exceptionally well” to treatment.
Russia says it has offered consular assistance to Yulia Skirpal, but Britain says she declined it.
In a tweet, the Russian embassy in the UK said: “We congratulate Yulia Skripal on her recovery. Yet we need urgent proof that what is being done to her is done on her own free will.”
