‘TRAITORS DIE IN BRITAIN’
Russian state TV warns double agents are not safe in the UK as Putin’s mouthpiece media wade into poisoning scandal
A RUSSIAN TV presenter has told “traitors” they are not safe in Britain in what appears to be a threat to potential double agents.
Kirill Kleimenov, a newsreader on Russian state TV issued his chilling statement on the channel’s flagship news programme.
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He said: “I don't wish death on anyone, but for purely educational purposes, I have a warning for anyone who dreams of such a career.
“The profession of a traitor is one of the most dangerous in the world.”
His comments come as former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia are fighting for their
lives in hospital after they were poisoned with a nerve agent in a suspected assassination attempt.
Kleimenov pointed out that the few who had chosen the path of treachery had lived to a ripe old age, the reports.
What we know so far:
- Ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury on Sunday
- Police say they were deliberately targeted with a rare nerve agent
- Cops cordoned off his house and the grave of his wife and son fearing others could be exposed to the poison
- The first Wiltshire cop on the scene is also ill in hospital - but hopes were raised for his recovery now he is awake and talking
- A blonde woman with a red handbag is being hunted after being caught on CCTV minutes before the hit
- Cops say the poison may have been slipped into a gift Yulia brought from Moscow
- Spooks also believe the Russians may have had their drinks spiked in a pub or a Zizzi's restaurant
- Theresa May has vowed revenge on Putin over the 'hit'
- Russian state TV warned 'traitor' double-agents they are not safe in the UK
- It was claimed Yulia Skripal may have been poisoned after calling for Putin to be jailed on Facebook as doctors reveal her fight for life
- It was revealed Sergei's MI6 contact had links to poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko
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New CCTV of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal buying groceries and scratchcards days before he was 'victim of poison attack' in Salisbury
He added that boozing, drug addiction, stress and depression were the “professional illnesses of a traitor”.
The newscaster continued claiming that these afflictions could lead to heart attacks and even suicide.
He also told “traitors or those who simply hate their country in their free time, don't choose Britain as a place to live.”
The Kremlin mouthpiece added: “Something is wrong there. Maybe it's the climate, but in recent years there have been too many strange incidents with grave outcomes there.”
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The remarks were markedly different from the rest of the coverage in Russian media which has expressed denials and bafflement in recent days.
On NTV - a station controlled by Gazprom, which is in turn owned by the Russian state - a presenter said the Western media were accusing Russia of poisoning Mr Skripal despite the absence of any evidence.
Its London correspondent, Liza Gerson, suggested the poison could have come from the Porton Down research facility, pointing out that Britain used it to test chemicals used against Germany in World War One.
She also branded Boris Johnson “an infant in a man's suit” and said the Foreign Secretary was known for his “unpredictable antics”.
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Meanwhile a presenter of state channel Rossiya 1 accused the British authorities of not even trying to seek Russia's co-operation in the investigation, 'but have already discovered a Russian trace in the case', the BBC said.
On Thursday the British investigation into the poisoning of Sergei Skirpal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, continued with police extending the cordon around his Salisbury home and the surrounding street to 150 yards.
Cops have now confirmed 21 people, including Mr Skirpal, his daughter, and Sgt Bailey, were treated in hospital in relation to the attack, after previously claiming the number was “fewer than 10”.
What you need to know about Russian spy Sergei Skripal, the Salisbury 'poison attack', Alexander Litvinenko and Anna Chapman
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