A state-funded Russian television channel has sent out chocolate models of Salisbury Cathedral as a festive gift.

Independent news outlet Dozhd, which has cast doubt on the Kremlin’s shifting narrative on the poisonings, shared a photo showing the detailed model wrapped in an RT-branded ribbon and colour-coded box.

“Come for tea, we're afraid to eat it alone,” Dozhd tweeted to RT’s official Russian account.

A spokesperson for RT confirmed the photo was genuine and told The Independent that the outlet had sent the chocolate models to “multiple recipients”.

An independent Russian news outlet shared a photo of the gift on 27 December (@tvrain/Twitter)

It came days before Christmas celebrations in the Russian Orthodox calendar, while gifts are also given at new year.

Observers branded the apparent joke “sick”, months after a mother died as a result of the novichok attack on Sergei Skripal.

Jo Broom, a councillor in Salisbury, said the community would be “sad and angry” over RT’s stunt.

“They would consider it in very poor taste and rather disrespectful to the people caught up on the attack,” she told The Independent.

“It’s very unfortunate that someone would begin thinking that was amusing. Someone lost their life and some people are still very ill. That makes me very sad that it’s been done and the community would be the same. They will be sad and angry.”

Paula Chertok, a lawyer who analyses pro-Russian propaganda, said seeing a photo of the chocolate cathedral made her “gag”.

“There's trolling and there's Russian propaganda infowar trolling – sick, dark, menacing,” she wrote on Twitter.

After British police announced charges against two GRU agents accused of launching the attempted assassination in March, Vladimir Putin claimed the suspects were “civilians” and called on them to speak to the media.

The following day, RT broadcast a widely ridiculed interview where – still using their cover names – the men claimed they were sports supplement salesmen on a three-day holiday.

“Alexander Petrov” and “Ruslan Boshirov” claimed they returned to Salisbury two days in a row because friends suggested visiting its “internationally famous” cathedral, known “for its 123m spire”.

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the plot, which Theresa May said must have been approved “at a senior level of the Russian state”.

RT and other Russian state-funded media outlets have aired several conspiracy theories over the poisonings, with British officials hitting out at “contradictory and changing fantasies” used to deny involvement.

Last week Ofcom announced potential “statutory sanctions” over RT’s repeated breaches of impartiality rules while covering the Salisbury attack, and wars in Syria and Ukraine.

One programme saw a former FSB secret service officer call the poisoning of Mr Skripal a “provocation” and in another, a pundit presented it as a plot to “punish Russia”.

Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Show all 19 1 /19 Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV – Salisbury train station The two suspects charged in relation to the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal at Salisbury train station at 16:11hrs on 03 March 2018 Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Suspects Suspects Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, Russian nationals, approximately 40 years old, who travelled on a Russian passport. It is likely that they were travelling under aliases and that these are not their real names Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Evidence Bottle and applicator recovered by police from Charlie Rowley’s address in Muggleton Road Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Evidence A counterfeit perfume box that was discovered by nerve agent victim Charlie Rowley, who later gave it, and the bottle inside, to his girlfriend Dawn Sturgess Metropolitan Police/AFP/Getty Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Rowley has previously said he felt lucky to be alive after giving a perfume bottle that contained the nerve agent Novichok to his girlfriend Dawn Sturgess, who later died Metropolitan Police/AFP/Getty Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Suspeccts The CPS has issued European Arrest Warrants for the extradition of 'Boshirov' and 'Petrov' in connection with the Novichok poisoning attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March Metropolitan Police/PA Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV – ‘Boshirov' at Gatwick airport Movements in detail - At 3pm on Friday, 2 March, the suspects arrived at Gatwick airport, having flown from Moscow on Aeroflot flight SU2588 Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV – ‘Petrov’ at Gatwick airport From the airport it is believed that they travelled by train into London, arriving at Victoria station at approximately 5.40pm Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV – Salisbury train station, 11:48hrs on 4 March 2018 They then travelled on London public transport to Waterloo station and were in the area between approximately 6pm and 7pm. They travelled to the City Stay Hotel in Bow Road, East London, where they stayed on Friday, 2 March, and Saturday, 3 March. On Saturday, 3 March, they left the hotel and took the underground to Waterloo station, arriving at approximately 11.45am, where they caught a train to Salisbury, arriving at approximately 2.25pm Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack City Stay Hotel in Bow Road Police officers stand outside the City Stay Hotel in Bow where on Sunday, 4 March, 'Boshirov' and 'Petrov' made the same journey from the hotel as they did the previous day, again using the underground from Bow to Waterloo station at approximately 8.05am, before continuing their journey by train to Salisbury Getty Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV – Wilton Road, Salisbury, 11:58hrs on 4 March 2018 CCTV shows them in the vicinity of Mr Skripal’s house and we believe that they contaminated the front door with Novichok Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV – Fisherton Road CCTV image of both suspects on Fisherton Road, Salisbury at 13:05hrs on 4 March, 2018 Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV – Salisbury train station, 13:50hrs on 4 March 2018 They left Salisbury and returned to Waterloo Station, arriving at approximately 4.45pm and boarded the London Underground at approximately 6.30pm to London Heathrow Airport Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV – Heathrow airport security, 19:28hrs on 4 March 2018 From Heathrow Airport, they returned to Moscow on Aeroflot flight SU2585, departing at 10.30pm Metropolitan Police/PA Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Scene investigations The police investigation was carried out over 6 months. Ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found on March 4 in a critical condition on a bench outside the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury AFP Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Victims Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, right, and his daughter Yulia Rex Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Victims Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey who rushed to the aid of the Skripals was also taken to hospital in a serious condition after falling ill when attempting to help them PA Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Victims Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother of three, died after falling ill when partner Charlie Rowley gave her a perfume bottle that contained the nerve agent Novichok Facebook/AFP/Getty Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Scene investigations The home of Charlie Rowley in Muggleton Road, Amesbury, where he and Dawn Sturgess were exposed to the deadly nerve agent Novichok PA

Former double agent Mr Skripal, his daughter Yulia and a police officer were left in a serious condition in March, before a local man unwittingly picked up a discarded bottle of novichok that was disguised as perfume.

Charlie Rowley gave it to his partner Dawn Sturgess, who had three children, and she died days after applying the nerve agent directly onto her wrists.

Mr Rowley survived being poisoned but has been readmitted to hospital several times.

Public safety fears following the poisonings have severely dented the local economy, with shops and restaurants closed for several months and visitor numbers yet to return to former levels.

The UK’s most senior police officer has said security forces will “never give up” trying to bring the Russian agents responsible to justice.

Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick said there was “absolutely” more to do in the ongoing investigation.

But officials have conceded the “brutal truth” that if the suspects do not enter an allied country and get caught, the UK will be powerless to bring them to trial, mirroring thwarted efforts to prosecute those responsible for assassinating Alexander Litvinenko.

Scotland Yard only gave Anatoliy Chepiga and Dr Alexander Mishkin’s cover identities when announcing criminal charges in September, but their true names were already known by British security services.

The Independent understands that intelligence agencies decided to reveal only part of their knowledge to protect their sources in Russia, and see what the Kremlin would do.

Their gamble paid off when Chepiga and Boshirov gave the RT interview that generated global ridicule.