Mikhail Gorbachev (pictured) said that the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter was ‘horrible and disgusting’
Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev today said that the poisoning of Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter was ‘horrible and disgusting’.
Mikhail Gorbachev had just cast his vote in the Russian presidential election when he said that ‘time will tell’ who was behind the attack.
Both Mr Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, are still fighting for their lives after being attacked with a nerve agent in Salisbury.
Mr Gorbachev, 87, was asked about the attack and said: ‘Horrible. Disgusting. I don’t know whose idea it was, time will tell.’
He had just voted when he spoke about the poisoning and Russia’s Central Election Commission reported a turnout of more than half in the presidential election on Sunday.
President Vladimir Putin faces seven challengers but he is certain to win another six years in office.
The commission said 51.9 per cent of the country’s nearly 111 million eligible voters have cast ballots.
Officials said efforts to encourage a higher turnout are in line with the law and some Russians have reported being pressured by employers to show up and vote.
Election commission chief Ella Pamfilova also said officials around the country are taking quick measures in response to claims of violations.
Independent election observers and activists have alleged numerous incidents of ballot stuffing and other irregularities in Sunday’s vote.
The commission said it is quickly responding to claims of violations in the vote.
President Vladimir Putin (pictured today) faces seven challengers but he is certain to win another six years in office
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said he boycotted the presidential election and advises other Russians to do the same.
It comes as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson claimed Britain now has evidence which shows Russia was developing the nerve agent Novichok which was used to attack Mr Skripal.
Mr Johnson also said that experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will come to the UK.
They will arrive in Britain on Monday to test samples of the nerve agent used in the poisoning.
Around 250 specialist counter-terror officers are investigating the Skripal case.
They have taken statements from 400 witnesses, recovered 762 exhibits and trawled through 4,000 hours of CCTV footage.
One theory they are investigating is that the nerve agent was hidden in Yulia’s luggage by a hit squad acting on the orders of Putin.
Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia (pictured) are still fighting for their lives after being attacked with a nerve agent