By Ben Kerrigan-
Yulia Skripal, the poisoned daughter of Russian ex-spy Sergei, will be seeking political asylum, her cousin has revealed.
The 33-year-old was released from Salisbury District Hospital on Monday night and has been taken to a secure location.Her Cousin, Viktoria Skripal told reporters that Yulia would want asylum, but did not state in which country. Britain will be a likely location for her to obtain political asylum, but it all depends how safe the British Government considers it to be.
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The hospital said: “This is not the end of her treatment but marks a significant milestone.”
Her 66-year-old father remains in hospital and is “recovering more slowly than Yulia”. Doctors hope he will be discharged “in due course”.
Yulia and her father were taken to hospital in March after being poisoned by the toxic nerve agent Novichok. The pair had just arrived from Russia the day before the poisoning, making it all too suspicious that Russia was involved.
Yulia and her father were found slumped on a park bench in the centre of Salisbury.
Wiltshire Police Det Sgt Nick Bailey, who attended the scene, was also treated in hospital after being exposed to the nerve agent, but has since been discharged.
A statement from Ms Skripal released by the Metropolitan Police last week said her “strength is growing daily”.
Mr Skripal is a retired military intelligence officer who was convicted of passing the identities of Russian intelligence agents working undercover in Europe to the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, MI6.
He was jailed for 13 years by Russia in 2006 and subsequently released in 2010 as part of an exchange for 10 Russian spies arrested by the FBI.
