Global Geopolitical Series: Russia cornered at UNSC meeting over ex-spy poisoning

United Nations’ Security Council (UNSC) held a meeting at its headquarter in New York yesterday in response to United Kingdom’s request for an urgent meeting over the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the United Kingdom using a banned chemical substance known as Novichock, which was developed in the former Soviet Union in the 1970s and 80s. The United Kingdom blamed Russia for the attack and called on to explain the case in 24hrs to whether Russian state is to blame for the attack or did it lose control of the substance, which reached the hands of others. As Russia remained defiant and denied any responsibility even called the UK to be wise by not giving a nuclear-armed state a 24hr ultimatum, speaking in parliament, Theresa May announced the following,

• Immediate actions to dismantle the Russian espionage network in the UK.
• Suspend all planned high-level contacts between the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation.
• Under the Vienna Convention, the United Kingdom will now expel 23 Russian diplomats who have been identified as undeclared intelligence officers. They have just one week to leave.
• Develop proposals for new legislative powers to harden our defences against all forms of Hostile State Activity. This will include the addition of a targeted power to detain those suspected of Hostile State Activity at the UK border. This power is currently only permitted in relation to those suspected of terrorism.
• We will also table a Government amendment to the Sanctions Bill to strengthen our powers to impose sanctions in response to the violation of human rights.
• We will freeze Russian State assets wherever we have the evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents.

Russia was further cornered at the UNSC meeting by the United States and the United Kingdom, while other members urged restraint. United States ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley said, “Based on the knowledge that Russia has previously produced this agent, the UK government concluded that Russia was responsible for this attack……Russia did not declare Novichok agents or the facilities required to produce it. We know from expert testimony that such facilities existed under the Soviet Union…..The United States believes that Russia is responsible for the attack on two people in the United Kingdom using a military-grade nerve agent”. She further talked about Russian government’s support for Assad regime, which is accused of using chemical weapons in Syria.

United Kingdom’s envoy to the UN Jonathan Allen said that according to the UK government, Russia is responsible for the attempted murder Sergey Skripal and his daughter and further condemned Russia for using unlawful use of force in the sovereign territory of another member state.

French representative Francois Delattre condemned the use of chemical weapons and expressed full confidence in the British investigation.

The United Kingdom also blocked a UN Security Council statement drafted by Russia, which reportedly called for an urgent investigation into the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.

Russian UN mission spokesman Fedor Strzhizhovskiy said, “The Russia-proposed March 14 project of a short and fact-based UNSC press statement calling for an urgent and civilized investigation into a resonant chemical incident in Britain in line with OPCW standards was crudely blocked by this country’s representatives under a politicized pretext". Speaking at the UNSC, Russia’s UN representative Vassily Nebenzia one again denied the allegations and noted that Moscow has nothing to gain from the death of the long-retired former spy, who has kept a low profile since he settled in the UK in 2010. Nebenzya also questioned why the case was being dragged before the Council, ignoring procedure. He alleged that the real reason the British government broke protocol was that it feared that the real experts in The Hague would not be convinced by the evidence. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is located in The Hague. He added, “We asked for samples of the substance used to assist in a joint investigation. This request was ignored.” He further asked, “Is this something that benefits Russia on the eve of Russian elections and the World Cup? Abiding on presumption of innocence, I can think of a great number of countries that would benefit from such accusations……Let me repeat. Russia had nothing to do with this incident. The British ultimatum isn't worthy of our attention and is null and void…….We trust they will provide samples of the substances for examination for a joint investigation. This is not optional, this is a mandatory requirement. We have nothing to fear and nothing to hide.”

Mr. Nebenzia further accused the United Kingdom of possessing the material, “For the British specialists to be perfectly confident that this was a Novichok agent and not any other kind, they would need a control standard for proof. It must be compared to a control substance…..They have a collection and they have the formula. In other words, if the UK is so firmly convinced this is Novichok, they have samples and formula and are capable of formulating it themselves…..It is no longer necessary to show the Council test tubes with white substances. It is enough to send letters with egregious accusations.” He also pointed that multiple NATO-member countries had previously initiated programs to develop VX-type nerve agents themselves and that developmental work on Soviet-era nerve agents stopped in 1992. In 2017, the Russian Federation completed the destruction of all existing stockpiles in accordance with OPCW guidelines. To date, the US has not destroyed its chemical stockpile.