A Skripal to run in Russian election

Viktoria Skripal has said she does not trust the UK's investigation into the poisoning of her relatives.

Investigators work in the garden of Sergei Skripal's house in Salisbury in March 2018 | Geoff Caddick/AFP via Getty Images

A relative of the Russian former spy poisoned in Britain earlier this year is running for office as a candidate of a Kremlin-controlled party.

Viktoria Skripal, the niece of Sergei Skripal, is running in local elections in the Yaroslavl region for the Just Russia party, according to party spokeswoman Anastasia Pivovarova, ITV News reported.

Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia both survived being poisoned in March in the English town of Salisbury, an attack British officials believe was carried out by the Russian government. The poisoning sparked international outrage and prompted a concerted diplomatic response by Western powers.

Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in June accused Britain of destroying evidence linked to the case.

Viktoria Skripal has previously stated on Russian television that she does not trust the U.K.’s handling of the investigation, and suggested that British intelligence agency MI5 is manipulating Yulia Skripal, who has rejected offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy.

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