RT – March 30, 2018: A plane by Russia’s Aeroflot has been searched by British authorities at London Heathrow airport who gave no reason for the examination. Russia’s Foreign Ministry called it “provocation” as international rules were breached.
The British officials went aboard an Aeroflot plane, which arrived from Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow to the British capital on Thursday. The officers said they needed to inspect the plane without explaining the reasons for the action and demanded the crew to leave the plane.
“We’re speaking of another provocation by the British authorities,” Maria Zakharova, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said, commenting on a search performed aboard an Aeroflot carrier plane in the British capital. “The behavior of the UK police clearly indicates the desire to conduct some kind of manipulations on board without witnesses.”
The spokeswoman suggested the British authorities needed this “provocation” to save their “reputation, which was heavily undermined by the so-called Skripal case.” The relations between Moscow and London hit a new low after the UK accused Russia of poisoning double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter without any proof or waiting for the end of the investigation.
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Antonov calls Skripal case pretext for US provocations against Russian diplomats
TASS – March 31, 2018: The alleged involvement of Russia in poisoning of an ex-GRU official Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Great Britain serves as an excuse for tough, inadequate steps by the United States towards Russian diplomats, Russian ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov told reporters.
“As of today, we haven’t received any reasonable explanations for the expulsion of our diplomats,” he said. “As you know, the official explanation for closing our consulate in Seattle is that our allegedly diplomats might receive information about the activities of the US naval base. I have a simple question – how is Skripal case connected to this? The answer arises naturally – the case, in fact, is just an excuse for a Russophobia outburst in order for the Americans to take tough, inadequate, provocative steps against Russian diplomats and Russian diplomatic property,” the diplomat added.
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