Britain accuses Russia of secretly stockpiling nerve agent

The Times also reported Russian senior diplomat Alexander Shulgin said on Saturday that Russia had discontinued its chemical weapons production when the Soviet Union collapsed.

On March 12, Prime Minister Theresa May claimed it was "highly likely" that Russian Federation was to blame, after Britain identified the substance as a type of nerve agent developed by the Soviet military.

The British government said it was expecting the retaliatory expulsions from Russian Federation.

'It is Russian Federation that is in flagrant breach of worldwide law and the Chemical Weapons Convention'.

British Prime Minister Theresa May this week expelled 23 Russian diplomats and severed high-level contacts over the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Russia has demanded consular access to Yulia Skripal, a Russian citizen, and complained that Britain has not responded to that request.

British police said Friday that he died from compression to the neck and opened a murder investigation.

It was the first use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War and also saw Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, who was part of the initial response to the incident, taken to hospital.

The Foreign Ministry said Moscow's measures were a response to what it called Britain's "provocative actions and groundless accusations".

More news: Britain's top diplomat says Russia's Vladimir Putin ordered ex-spy's poisoning

The Russian foreign ministry summoned the British ambassador, Laurie Bristow, to its headquarters on Saturday morning to inform him of the retaliatory measures.

Russian news agencies reported that it was to discuss the poisoning, while the United Kingdom embassy in Russia said it was a pre-planned meeting.

"We actually have evidence within the last 10 years that Russian Federation has not only been investigating the delivery of nerve agents for the purposes of assassination, but has also been creating and stockpiling Novichok", Johnson told the BBC.

Among the properties that should be targeted, say lawmakers eager for an immediate response to the expulsion of British diplomats, is property owned by companies registered to Russia's first deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov, and the London house worth more than $150 million of oligarch Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea soccer club.

Britain's foreign secretary accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of personally ordering the poisoning.

Russia has now denied that any program under the name Novichok ever existed, despite the evidence presented two decades ago by the Russian scientist Vil Mirzayanov, who revealed its existence after becoming concerned it violated Russia's commitments to the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Echoing Mr Johnson's remarks, Mr Czaputowicz said: "We are sure that it is the Russian state which is involved in this attempt".

Moscow also made a decision to close the British Council in Russian Federation and to withdraw permission for Britain to open a general consulate in St Petersburg, the ministry said in a statement.

The closure of the British Council's Moscow office will sever cultural ties, while that of the consulate-general in St Petersburg will end Britain's diplomatic presence in Russia's second city.

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