The Latest: UK: Russia has spied on Skripals for 5 years

British Ambassador to the United Nations Karen Pierce speaks to reporters about the situation between Britain and Russia, Thursday, April 12, 2018 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

British Ambassador to the United Nations Karen Pierce speaks to reporters about the situation between Britain and Russia, Thursday, April 12, 2018 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on the March 4 nerve agent poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

Britain says Russian intelligence agencies have been spying on ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia for at least five years.

British National Security Adviser Mark Sedwill provided this information in a letter to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The Skripals were found unconscious on a park bench in the English city of Salisbury on March 4 after being attacked with a military-grade nerve agent.

Britain blames the Russian government for the attack but Russia denies involvement.

Yulia Skripal, 33, has been released from the hospital. Her father remains in the hospital but British health officials say he is improving.

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2:50 p.m.

Russia’s foreign minister says a new report on the poisoning of a former spy does nothing to support Britain’s contention that Russia was behind the attack.

Investigators at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed British findings that double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent in Britain on March 4.

But it didn’t say who was responsible for the poisoning. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the report does nothing to back the British allegations that Moscow was behind the attack, which Moscow denies. Britain says scientific analysis of the poison is only one of the factors that has led it to blame Russia.

Russia has accused Britain of waging a defamation campaign, manipulating public opinion and hiding facts.