The counterterrorism department of Scotland Yard, investigating the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal, will study the circumstances of the death of his wife and son, reports The Times.

The wife of Skripal Ludmila (pictured) died of cancer in October 2012 in the UK. The son of scout Alexander Skripal died of sudden liver failure in 2017 in St. Petersburg. In addition, according to The Daily Mail, in 2016 the elder brother of Sergei Skripal died in Russia.

According to sources, initially the police and MI-5 considered the version of the attempted murder of [Sergei Skripal], supported by the state. However, alternative versions are not excluded, including the rival faction, which wants to undermine the authority of Russia and the regime of Vladimir Putin, as well as the household version.

On March 4, former Colonel GRU Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia were unconscious on a bench in a shopping center in the city of Salisbury. They were taken to the hospital, where they continue to be in serious condition. According to one version, the victims could be poisoned with fentanyl, an opioid analgesic that is used for anesthesia.

In 2006, Sergei Skripal was sentenced to 13 years in prison for treason in Russia. In 2010, he was exchanged for Russian intelligence officers, uncovered by the US special services.

On March 7, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow had still not received any requests from London for assistance in investigating the circumstances of the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter. According to her, what happened with Skripal immediately began to be used by the West to build up an anti-Russian campaign.