Skripals Still Live in Britain, May Have Changed Appearances, UK Media Claims

The faces of Sergei and Yulia Skripal have become familiar to the whole world after they were allegedly exposed to what UK authorities later claimed was the Novichok nerve agent. But a fresh report by The Daily Telegraph suggests that months after the poisoning they are barely recognisable from their old photographs.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Sergei and Yulia Skripal may have changed their appearances: the video footage of Yulia released shortly after she was discharged from the hospital showed that she had lost weight, had a new haircut, and changed her hair colour. Her father had also lost much weight after spending 9 weeks in a coma.

"He could probably walk down the street with a hat on or maybe a change of hair colour and not be recognised. That said, one of the reasons he has not been interviewed could well be because he did not want to give himself away", the publication cited an unnamed source as saying.

The media outlet also suggested that the Skripals are still living in the UK under the continuing supervision of medical experts and are staying in touch with friends.

Last March, Sergei and his daughter Yulia were found collapsed on a park bench in the British town of Salisbury after allegedly being subjected to a military-grade nerve agent, which UK authorities claimed was Novichok.

With the investigation underway, the British government rushed to accuse Russia of the poisoning – something which the Kremlin has firmly denied, adding that London hasn’t provided any facts to corroborate the claims.

Even though medics initially said that the pair was in critical condition and might never fully recover, both Skripals emerged from over a month-long coma and were discharged from hospital. While Sergei has been avoiding the public eye, his daughter gave an exclusive interview to Reuters after being released from the medical facility.