London's Metropolitan Police Service has issued a statement on behalf of Yulia Skripal, who fell ill last month in Britain after exposure to a nerve agent, quoting her as saying her strength "is growing daily" and that the entire incident has been "somewhat disorientating."
"I woke up over a week ago now and am glad to say my strength is growing daily. I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received,” the April 5 statement quoted the daughter of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal as saying.
"I have many people to thank for my recovery and would especially like to mention the people of Salisbury that came to my aid when my father and I were incapacitated. Further than that, I would like to thank the staff at Salisbury District Hospital for their care and professionalism."
"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," the police statement quoted her as saying.
The statement did not mention the condition of her father, Sergei, the former Russian double agent who was also hospitalized after the two were found incapacitated on a park bench in the English city of Salisbury on March 4.
It also did not provide any information about how she thinks she and her father were exposed to the chemical warfare substance or who was responsible for the attack.
Both Skripals were initially reported in extremely critical condition with little chance of recovery. But they later were reported to be improving in the hospital.
The British government has accused Russia for the nerve-agent attack, which Moscow has denied.
The incident has ignited a fierce dispute between the West and Russia, leading to a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions and other measures.
Earlier on April 5, Russian state television broadcast what it said was a phone conversation between Yulia Skripal and a relative of hers in Russia.
Hosts on Russia's state-run Rossiya 1 television program 60 Minutes said they obtained a recording from Yulia Skripal's cousin, Viktoria, that was purported to be a telephone conversation between the two women. But the Russian state broadcaster said it could not guarantee the authenticity of the recording.
In the recording, a woman introduces herself by saying "Yulia Skripal speaking." She says she expects to be leaving the hospital soon and that her father is "fine."
"Everything is fine [with Sergei]. He is resting now, he is sleeping. Everyone's health is fine. There is nothing that is irreversible. That's it, I'll be discharged soon. Everything is OK," she added.
