MOSCOW: Nearly two dozen Russian diplomats expelled by Britain over the poisoning of an ex-spy headed home on Tuesday, while a scientist involved in the creation of the nerve agent said it could be manufactured by other countries.

Former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, are in critical condition in the English city of Salisbury after being poisoned on March 4. Britain said they were poisoned with a class of nerve agent known as Novichok and blamed Russia for the attack.

Russian scientist Leonid Rink told the state RIA Novosti news agency that Britain and others could easily synthesize Novichok after chemical expert Vil Mirzayanov emigrated to the US and revealed its formula.

“It’s easily available to professionals, and there is no problem for Britain, the US and other developed nations to create such weapon,” he said.

Rink said Novichok had a different name when it was designed in the Soviet Union, arguing that British officials used the name Novichok to convince the public that Russia was to blame for the poisoning.

Britain has dismissed claims the nerve agent could come from the UK. On Sunday, Russia’s ambassador to the EU suggested the nerve agent could have come from Britain’s chemical weapons research facility, Porton Down. The British government said that was “nonsense.” On March 14, British Prime Minister Theresa May gave the 23 diplomats whom she said were undeclared intelligence agents a week to leave Britain. Russia responded by expelling the same number of British diplomats, who are expected to leave in the coming days.

Diplomats and their families emerged from the Russian Embassy in west London with suitcases, bags and pet carriers. Some hugged before they boarded vehicles to the airport for a flight to Moscow.

Russia has fiercely denied any involvement, saying that it had no motive to kill Skripal, who was convicted of spying for Britain but released in a 2010 spy swap. It said that it had completed the destruction of its chemical arsenals last year under international oversight.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2018