U.K. nerve agent victim Yulia Skripal releases first statement since poisoning

Yulia Skripal, the daughter of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, has released her first statement since she was hospitalized after coming into contact with a dangerous nerve agent in England while with her father. "I woke up over a week ago now and am glad to say my strength is growing daily," she said. "I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received."

In addition to thanking the staff of the Salisbury District Hospital, Skripal said: "I am sure you appreciate that the entire episode is somewhat disorientating, and I hope that you’ll respect my privacy and that of my family during the period of my convalescence."

Yulia Skripal and her father Sergei were poisoned on March 4. President Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May have blamed Russia for the attack, in part because the nerve agent used in the poisoning was developed in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Russia has denied being behind the attack, although it has retaliated against Western countries with a tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats.

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Russian television reports that Yulia Skripal told her cousin, Viktoria Skripal, who lives in Moscow, that her father "is resting, sleeping," and that "everything is fine, everything is fixable, everyone is getting better."