richard galpin, bbc news. ina richard galpin, bbc news. we will speak to our correspondent in salisbury. vicki young is in downing street for us. that meeting of the national security council ended a short time ago? yes. it went on for almost two hours. all the senior figures ago? yes. it went on for almost two hours. all the seniorfigures here discussing this. there are many seniorfigures senior figures in westminster who do not think there could be anything other than russia responsible for this attack. of course, the problem for the prime minister is she needs the evidence. who will see point the finger of blame at? it is one thing to say it is russia, another to say it is the kremlin are president putin. there is still some caution. the home secretary has given an interview today. she says the government has do have the facts first. if they do attribute blame, they wanted to be completely sound. she said the government's reaction has to be cool—headed and take into account diplomatic relations. the issue here is if this robust, strong

we will go to richard galpin, our correspondent in moscow later on.ng republican senators, have warned president trump against trying to shut down the special counsel investigation into claims of russian interference in the 2016 election. donald trump has again called robert mueller‘s probe a witch hunt and his personal lawyer has called for an end to the inquiry. however mr mueller continues to gather information and its understood he has now spoken to andrew mccabe, the fbi‘s former deputy director who was sacked this weekend. chris butler explains the significance. andrew mccabe was the deputy director of the fbi and was there whenever president trump fired that then fbi director, james comey. that was very controversial and it was something that is still a contentious issue that is fought out. james comey is due to release a book next month in which he says he will reveal more about that. andrew mccabe had taken notes throughout the period. notjust notes on the events of that but his conversations with president trump. he has given them to the spe

but first, let's speak to our correspondent richard galpin in moscow. ambassador has been told in no uncertain terms what the russian response was this morning? yes, he was summoned this morning and the meeting in the russian foreign ministry here in moscow only lasted about ten minutes. so it was pretty brief and he was handed the list of what russia intends to do. some of it was predictable. the russian foreign ministry had already said yesterday that they would be expelling british diplomats. it turns out it is exactly symmetrical. 23 are being thrown out of the british embassy. but they have gone further with these other measures, effectively closing down the british council in russia and also closing the british consulate in st petersburg. st petersburg is a key city, the second city of russia, with a big population. that will have an impact, particularly on russians who want to visit britain and get visas. it will be much more difficult for people based in st petersburg. so strong measures by russia, but of course, britain had a range of measures

richard galpin for us in moscow. are causing difficult driving conditions across much of england and wales. some police forces are advising motorists to avoid non—essential travel. the foreign office has dismissed claims that the nerve agent used in the attack in salisbury could have been produced in porton down. a man's been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a car was driven into a nightclub in gravesend in kent. a number of people have been injured. sport now, and for a full round up, let's cross to the bbc sport centre. paralympics gb are celebrating their best ever winter games — after winning their first gold medal in pyeongchang. menna fitzpatrick and jen kehoe won the visually impared slalom — adding gold to the two silver medals and a bronze they'd already won. they'll be flag—bearers at today's closing ceremony. mille knight and brett wild won bronze in the same event — bringing paralympics gb‘s medal tally to seven. it's been absolutely astonishing the way that this week has gone from quite lo

richard galpin reporting from moscow. in the uk as a child has been found guilty of the london tube bombing at parson's green. 18—year—old ahmed hassan left his bomb on a packed underground train during rush hour. the device only partially detonated but injured 50 people. it's emerged that hassan was on the government's deradicalisation programme, prevent, while he was plotting the attack. the government says there are lessons to be learned from the case. june kelly reports. ahmed hassan buying batteries and screwdrivers in asda — everyday items but, for a violent extremist, part of his bomb—making kit. he's asked for id. he may have looked young but hassan is said to be mature, highly intelligent and calculating. cctv cameras captured his journey as the following morning he left home early with his bomb in a bag and a murderous plan in his head. he was setting off to cause carnage on the london underground system. he made for a train and then, a few stops down the district line, he got off, empty—handed, his bomb on a ti

richard galpin has the latest. six days after the attack here in salisbury and now the police and forensics experts are to be joined by around 200 soldiers specially trained in chemical warfare. theirjob, to help secure key locations, recover evidence and remove contaminated vehicles. also today the home secretary visited the area and praised the emergency services for how they responded to such a dangerous incident. they reacted with the professionalism and compassion you would hope our emergency services do and i am awe of their sympathetic approach and professionalism. meanwhile the double agent sergei skripal and daughter yulia, who travelled from russia to spend time with her father, remain in a critical condition in salisbury hospital. but they are said to be stable. sergei skripal‘s house is another major focus of the investigation, with evidence being collected here and the building possibly being decontaminated. at the research laboratories in porton down, scientists may have already identified the nerve a

richard galpin reports. russian intelligence officer sergei skripal and his daughter yulia still fighting for their lives in hospital, counterterrorism police are now running the investigation. and they want any witnesses to come forward with information. for example, at the restaurant where the skripals eight not long before they collapsed on a bench in the city centre. today, another sign of how seriously this incident is being treated. good morning. you attending cobra? senior ministers and intelligence officials holding a meeting at the government's emergency response committee called cobra. and afterwards, the home secretary announced they had been progress in the investigation into what had made to the skripals so ill last sunday. we do know more about the substance and the police will be making a further substance this afternoon in order to share some of that. we must let the police carry on their work. they will share what they come this afternoon and i'm sure there will be more updates as the invest

richard galpin, bbc news, moscow. —— to keep russia isolated. angela stent, an expert in russian politics who teaches at georgetown university. that was for the bbc‘s beyond 100 days programme. you have written recently that institutions in russia have rarely been as insignificant as they are today over the course of the last 100 years. does that mean that vladimir putin is therefore much more powerful? well, he is certainly at the moment, this is a highly personalised system and he appears to be very powerful now. he has just w011 to be very powerful now. he has just won 76% of the road. even if there was ballot stuffing and some cheating, he is definitely popular. he appears to be very popular. but going forward, if this is indeed his last term, you start to get people manoeuvring for succession, you start to get people questioning what is happening. but right now, and i would say for the next year or two, he will indeed be very powerful white i want to pick up on that, angela. there is a term limit in russia, he will have served 2a years at t

richard galpin, bbc news, moscow.n killed in northern syria, fighting alongside kurdish forces. it's understood that anna campbell, who was from lewes in east sussex, died in the town of afrin, which has been the target of turkish bombing. our turkey correspondent, mark lowen, reports. from the calm of east sussex, anna campbell felt a calling to fight in syria pulls up in guvnor 26—year—old plumber and syria pulls up in guvnor 26—year—old plumberand human syria pulls up in guvnor 26—year—old plumber and human rights campaigner, shejoined the kurdish militia last year, dyeing her blonde hair to stand out less. she was killed reportedly in an air strike by turkey in its offences against the ypg kurdish fighters. herfather called her principled and brave. she was quite adamant about it. i said, you could be killed. and she said, i know, dad, there's nothing i can do to reassure you about that but i have to do this because it is the most important thing for me. seven other british nationals have died fighting with the ku

richard galpin reporting from moscow.um in the uk as a child has been found guilty of the london tube bombing at parson's green. 18—year—old ahmed hassan left his bomb on a packed underground train during rush hour. the device only partially detonated but injured 50 people. it's emerged that hassan was on the government's deradicalisation programme, prevent, while he was plotting the attack. the government says there are lessons to be learned from the case. june kelly reports. ahmed hassan buying batteries and screwdrivers in asda — everyday items but, for a violent extremist, part of his bomb—making kit. he's asked for id. he may have looked young but hassan is said to be mature, highly intelligent and calculating. cctv cameras captured his journey as the following morning he left home early with his bomb in a bag and a murderous plan in his head. he was setting off to cause carnage on the london underground system. he made for a train and then, a few stops down the district line, he got off, empty—handed, his bomb on a

richard galpin has more. chard: vladimir putin emerging triumpnt yet again in front of his supporters in moscow last night. this follo which any serious opposition candidates had bn excluded. media,ay, the russian most of which is controlled by in kremlin, also reveling his appointment as president for another six years. and yet, cctv footage, polling stations posted on social media, tells a different story. these women stuffing ballot thboxes. e are reports of hundreds of violations. a official said -- officials say the violations were far fewer than the last election. and mr. putin is already concentrating on issues of state , including the crisis with britain over poisoning skirpals. he is adamant that the kremlin is not behd the attack. putin: drivel, nonsense, that russia would do something ahead of presidential electionor and the cup. this academic told me that it made no sense for the russian state to be involved. having anotoblem not kingdom. the united this option has been after elections, they would

richard galpin, thank you. tom burridge is in salisbury. what is happening there?today and activity from the military here in this industrial estate on the edge the city. you can see those huge military vehicles. behind the police cordon is a garage. that is we re police cordon is a garage. that is were sergei skripal's car was told to in the hours after he and his daughter fell critically ill. this isa daughter fell critically ill. this is a shot from another camera. you should be able to see the metal container, and a tent. the car has been moved into that container. we can show you aerial pictures from a short while ago. we believe troops from the chemical, biological and nuclear regiment were moving the vehicle out of a tent where it has been kept for the last few days, while investigations have been carried out. we believe they are going to move the car away from this scene at some point today probably. and then we can take you, i think, it is pictures from a few hours ago, another area it is pictures from a few hours ago, anotherarea in it is pictures from a

richard galpin reports.i restaurant where the skripals ate, not long before they collapsed on a bench in the city centre. today, another sign of how seriously this incident is being treated. senior politicians and intelligence officials holding a meeting of the government‘s emergency response committee called cobra. and afterwards, the home secretary announced there had been progress in the investigation into what had made to the skripals so ill last sunday. we do know more about the substance and the police will be making a further statement this afternoon in order to share some of that. we must let the police carry on their work. they will share what they can this afternoon and i‘m sure there will be more updates as the investigation continues. scientists at the government‘s research laboratories at porton down near salisbury have been examining samples to try to work out exactly what substance was involved. but despite suspicions that russia might be behind what has happened, there are warnings against ju

let's go live to moscow and richard galpin.ger a question of if but when moscow announces some retaliation? i think that's absolutely right. we don't know when it's going to be, but certainly the kremlin today has been saying that they will respond soon and it will be vladimir putin who will make the final decision, presumably on what the measures are going to be and what the timing will be, and they are also saying they will inform the british governments first. the assumption of course is that it will be expulsion of british diplomats from the embassy here in moscow, potentially the same number, 23, russians being expelled, therefore 23 british diplomats and presumably spies amongst them being expelled but we don't know the details yet. we are still waiting to hear from the kremlin or the foreign ministry to make that all important announcement. they think it's going to happen quite soon now. announcement. they think it's going to happen quite soon nowm announcement. they think it's going to happen quite soon now. if it does

from moscow richard galpin reports. al election is turnout, tell us about that, first. the turnout we are getting from the national election commission is 52.6% at the moment, obviously that could change. voting is continuing, still another few hours of voting to go. so, we have to wait and see if it is going to reach the number they wanted of around 70% or not. certainly, just from this pollen station, there has been a steady stream of people coming through. the expectation that vladimir putin will get his fourth term, as you say, but is that what people are saying to you, is there are a lot of enthusiasm for this fourth term for him? i think there has been quite a problem for the kremlin, they launched quite a big campaign to try to galvanise people to go out and vote, they were quite worried that there would be apathy. he has been in power since the end of 1999, there is a sense, what is the point of voting again, we know what the result will be, there is little point. a pretty dynamic campaign by the kremlin, certain

let's talk to richard galpin, who is in moscow for us. richard galpin, who is in moscow for us. we understand that the ambassador has arrived at this meeting. yes, he's going into this meeting with senior russian officials in moscow. we know that surrogate lover of sergei lavrov will be here. we also don't know whether there might be other measures. of course, this is an assumption. vladimir putin, the russian president, has the final say on what exactly is going to happen, and we have known him to pull some surprises in the past. certainly the expectation, as i say, is that there will be expulsions of british diplomats and spies. indeed, all of this happening with the backdrop of the elections. yes. that is right. although the elections, i don't think it is really feeding into the elections, the whole issue of sergei skripal. i think it is maybe the decision to go ahead with this, whatever they will come out with today could help vladimir putin in some respects. if it is a tough response with strong retaliatory measures, then that does feed into the whole narrative that mr puti

richard galpin reporting from moscow.d consider the possibility of delaying when we leave the eu, if complex issues remain unresolved. the exiting the eu committee says more time should be allowed if a detailed and comprehensive agreement on the future relationship isn't settled by october. the brexit committee's view isn't unanimous though — a minority report by eight members warns that a long transition would be difficult. us media reports suggest sacked fbi deputy director andrew mccabe has given memos about conversations he had with president donald trump to an inquiry into alleged russian meddling in the 2016 election. an internal review concluded that mr mccabe leaked information and misled investigators, something he denies. president trump's personal lawyer has now called for an end to the russia investigation. residents from several cliff top seaside chalets in norfolk have been told to evacuate their homes due to strong winds. police say six properties in the village of hemsby are at risk of coastal erosion over

richard galpin is in moscow.athryn stanczyszyn who is outside the foreign office in central london. the russian elections are taking place, is it just the russian elections are taking place, is itjust sabre rattling, it is going to damage vladimir putin? there is genuine anger about the way britain is portraying what happened in the uk two weeks ago and they are still denying they had any involvement. they are saying that britain has not produced any evidence so there is real anger about that. historically, overthe many years in which vladimir putin has been in power he has played this ca rd of has been in power he has played this card of basically the west being opposed to russia and trying to close it in and encircle it, and that works, it works for him and has done for quite a few years, he's running now for his fourth term stop he knows the narrative works. people respond to that. they agree with what he says, and they do believe that they face a real problem from the west. theresa may was speaking earlier to

earlier our news correspondent in moscow, richard galpin, told me that there is anger in russia over is portraying what happened in salisbury. they are still denying they had any involvement. they are saying that britain has not produced any evidence so there is real anger about that. historically, over the many years in which mr putin has been in power he has played this card of basically the west being strongly opposed to russia and trying to close it in and encircle it, and that works, it works for him and has done for quite a few years, he's running now for his fourth term. he knows the narrative works. people respond to that. they agree with what he says, and they do believe that they face a real problem from the west. mrs may was speaking earlier today. there's a lot of talk of taking further action. how is that perceived in russia? also, is the narrative of the west really being against mr putin and the country believed wholeheartedly? if there is further measures from britain, there is no doubt russia will respond in kind again. they have made that absolutely clear in their a

speaking to our correspondent richard galpin, he said he believed he may have been a target of russianussia's election. we were working in london. and we we re we were working in london. and we were completing a project by the end of the year. a few days before completion of the project we were coming back with my wife from london and we came to waterloo station and near waterloo station is the russian shop where russian food is being sold, and of course as usual you can't find original russian but from former soviet republics. it is run not by a russian but by an afghan quy not by a russian but by an afghan guy who speaks russian. what became there there was a man who was buying different stuff also there, and we recognised each other because we had once met in russia but frankly speaking i recognised only that i know the face. but he had better memory maybe but also because of my articles and might story with kremlin and conflict i was the only one who accused kremlin of corruption and started official criminal prosecution, and because of my story the head of the service lost hisjob,

the bbc gained access to film on the kurdish side of the conflict, as richard galpin now reports.in north—eastern syria. and turkish jets are pounding a target at a checkpoint. bewildered survivors emerge out of the dark and are picked up by ambulances. they had been part of a large convoy of vehicles, bringing food and fuel for the people of afrin city. there were casualties, including teenagers. but most people had managed to run to safetyjust in time. translation: we came here as a peaceful solidarity convoy for our brothers in afrin. we had no weapons, nothing. but the forces of turkish president erdogan rained shells on us. we don't want them here or anywhere in syria. this, the remnants of the convoy. since turkey began its offensive against kurdish fighters in the area injanuary, human rights groups say over 90 civilians have been killed and hundreds injured, including children, in what they describe as indiscriminate attacks. the kurdish areas, marked in yellow, lie along much of the border with turkey. the afrin pocket in the far north—west of syria is the current focus o

the bbc has managed to film from the kurdish side of the conflict — as richard galpin now reports.nding a target at a checkpoint. were welded survivors emerge out of the dark and i picked up emerge out of the dark and i picked up by emerge out of the dark and i picked up by ambulances. they had been part ofa up by ambulances. they had been part of a large convoy of vehicles are bringing food and fuel for the people of afrin city. there were casualties, including teenagers. however casualties, including teenagers. h owever m ost casualties, including teenagers. however most people had managed to run to safety just in however most people had managed to run to safetyjust in time. translation: we came here as a peace convoy for our brothers in afrin. we had no westerns, nothing. that the forces of the president rained shells on us. we don't want them here or anywhere in syria. this, the re m na nts of here or anywhere in syria. this, the remnants of the convoy. since turkey began its offensive against kurdish fighters in the area injanuary, human rights groups say over 90 civilians hav

paul adams, bbc news. 0ur correspondent, richard galpin, is in moscow.s from your side? not an awful lot. we have had a statement from the kremlin in which they are saying vladimir putin has not got plans to immediately meet the group of russian spies, diplomats, when they get back to moscow. what we think is that it get back to moscow. what we think is thatitis get back to moscow. what we think is that it is highly likely, if we look back at previous episodes like this, if you remember the russian sleeper agents, ten expelled from the us in 2010, part of the spies swap in which sergei skripal came to britain. those agents, when they arrived, they were fated, they had a meeting in the kremlin, with the then president, they were given medals, songs were sung with vladimir putin, one of them, and chapman, she became a celebrity, her own tv show, modelling, working with united russia, the main party. 0thers worked for oil companies, got contracts, and andre luke varney, the manic used of poisoning alexander litvinenko —— the man accused of poisoning alexand

the bbc has managed to film from the kurdish side of the conflict — as richard galpin now reports.ia. and turkish jets are pounding the target, at a checkpoint. bewildered survivors emerge out of the dark. and are picked up by ambulances. they have been part of a large convoy of vehicles bringing food and fuel for the people of afrin city. there were casualties, including teenagers. but most people had managed to run to safety just most people had managed to run to safetyjust in time. we came here as a peaceful convoy for our brothers in afrin, we had no weapons, but the forces rained shells on us. we don't wa nt forces rained shells on us. we don't want them here or anywhere in syria. this, the remnants of the convoy. since turkey began its offensive against kurdish fighters in the area injanuary, human against kurdish fighters in the area in january, human rights against kurdish fighters in the area injanuary, human rights groups say more than 90 civilians have been killed and hundreds injured, including children. they described this as indiscriminate attacks. the kurdish areas,

richard galpin is following events in moscow.bassador has been told in no uncertain terms this morning what the response was from moscow. yes. it was a brief meeting as well. it only lasted about ten minutes. he was handed the list from officials in the russian foreign ministry here in moscow, and then he came out and gave that statement. russia, as expected, has expelled exactly the same number of diplomats as britain is doing. but it has come out with these other measures, which are perhaps something of a surprise, the move to cut down the british consulate in st petersburg and the move to shut down the british council, although the british council, although the british council was very much pared down after the situation following the murder of alexander litvinenko, the former russian spy who was killed in london using polonium, a radioactive substance. the foreign ministry here are saying that the consular closure is to create parity with britain and create the same number of consulates in each country. britain also has a con

our first report this lunchtime is by richard galpin.50,000. the location of the first chemical weapons attack in this country. not a standard nerve agent was used, but one called novichok, which is exceptionally potent and persistent. this is the most deadly chemical agent we have ever come across, that has the potential to kill many millions of people. it is a new chemical weapon, very sophisticated and very toxic and very persistent. it was developed here in russia. this is believed to be one of the laboratories in moscow where scientists started working in the 19705 scientists started working in the 1970s and 1980s to produce different forms of the nerve agent, which are particularly difficult to detect. that is why back in salisbury the decontamination process has spread farand decontamination process has spread far and wide. all locations and vehicles which may have come into contact with novichok are needing to be thoroughly cleaned. nine days after the attack on the russian double agent sergei skripol and his daughter yulia, stil

richard galpin is in moscow.tic response by russia to the skripal case? yes, i think absolutely. a major diplomatic offensive by russia under way and the meeting taking place here at the russian foreign ministry isa here at the russian foreign ministry is a big part of that. about an hour ago we saw a large number of ambassadors streaming into the building to hear the russian point of view which is essentially that russia had nothing to do with the poisoning of the scree powell noren. they say there is only two explanations that britain is behind the attack or unable to prevent a terrorist attack on its soil. the kremlin repeating allegations that it was britain behind the nerve agent attack. the british ambassador has not turned up to this meeting neither have the american german ambassadors. that has also brought a rebuke from the kremlin on britain. they say that although they have thrown out these accusations, they are not willing to listen to the a nswe rs. are not willing to listen to the answers. 0ne offic

emergency committee — cobra — has been meeting to discuss the situation, as our correspondent richard galpinei skripal buying groceries at a shop in salisbury last week. he looks relaxed and jovial as he chats with the shopkeeper. but just jovial as he chats with the shopkeeper. butjust days later he and his daughter would fall critically ill in the city centre. both now fighting for their lives in hospital. and today emergency vehicles were back in the city centre in large numbers. theirfocus this time of building adjacent to the restaurant where mr skripal and his daughter had lunch on the day they apparently ingested some form of poison. an ambulance drove away from here this afternoon with a woman inside. it is not clear if this was connected to the apparent poisoning. in another sign of the seriousness of the situation cabinet ministers and security officials held a meeting of the government emergency response committee cobra this morning. scientist at the government research laboratories in porton down near salisbury have been ha rd porton down near salisbury have been hard at work exa

richard galpin reports. the investigation now is focusing on who carried out the attempted murder here in salisbury last sunday. in which the russian double agent sergei skripal and his daughter yulia ingested deadly nerve agent. but at the local hospital, it is now clear the policeman who was also contaminated after rushing to help them when they collapsed is recovering. the police are working closely... in parliament this morning the government promised a robust response once it is clear who was behind the attack. the use of a nerve agent on uk soil is a brazen and reckless act. this was attempted murder in the most cruel and public way. people are right to want to know who to hold to account. but if we are to be rigorous in this investigation, we must avoid speculation and allow the police to carry on their investigation. the horrifying effects of a nerve agents have been seen in several parts of the world in recent years, even though their use is banned. hundreds suffocated to death in this sarin gas att

from moscow richard galpin reports.encouraging people to vote. russians have only known one leader, vladimir putin, since 1999, and now they are casting their ballots once again with the odds stacked heavily in his favour. with the only serious opposition leader banned from taking part in this election, there's virtually no doubt that vladimir putin will win. the issue is going to be the turnout and whether it is sufficient to legitimise another six years in powerfor mr putin. and although people have been voting here, we soon found scepticism about how genuine this election is. translation: formally, there is a real choice, but in reality i cannot say it is fair because i know people are being forced to vote, especially those working in government institutions. the president himself voted here in moscow earlier today. the kremlin apparently aiming for him to get 70% of the vote and of the turnout. but when asked byjournalists how many votes would be seen as a success , he said "any amount allowing him to be president."

richard galpin reports. finally the convoy crosses into rebel held territory.ta since last month when the area came under some of the most intense bombing of syria's long civil war. the besieged people living here urgently need food and medicine. but it's now emerged that most of the medical supplies these trucks were supposed to carry were removed by the syrian authorities before they set off. there were some items removed, however at least we managed to bring life—saving medicines and surgical items that will help some of the wounded to get access to medical care. also today, syrian government forces and their allies have continued to bombard eastern ghouta. this, despite the arrival of the aid convoy. already it's estimated more than 700 people have been killed in this rebel enclave over the past two weeks, including more than 100 children. but speaking yesterday, the syrian president, bashar al—assad, said his forces were fighting terrorism and would continue to do so. he also said it was a ridiculous lie to claim there was an urgent need for aid supplies i

our correspondent richard galpin is in moscow.eaction to what borisjohnson —— borisjohnson had reaction to what borisjohnson —— boris johnson had to reaction to what borisjohnson —— borisjohnson had to say? reaction to what borisjohnson —— boris johnson had to say? totally, it has been very quick, and absolute fury. it has come from best cover, the kremlin spokesperson, the official spokesperson, he oussama assaidi what mrjohnson has done is very shocking, is unforgivable and a breach of diplomatic rules on what is normal, decent behaviour, so i think the kremlin will see this as being really provocative, upping the a nte being really provocative, upping the ante at what is a very febrile time in terms of the relationship between moscow and london. then of course we are waiting for that decision on the retaliatory measures from moscow. still, no definite timing on that. officials have been saying it will be soon, one person saying it could be soon, one person saying it could be any minute now, but i think we have to factor in the

reporters showed let's speak to our correspondent richard galpin in moscow. expected, a fairly tough response? apologies... as you can see, a problem with the wind to moscow. we will try to get richard back any moment's time. just expected, also worth seeing, expecting a response from the foreign office, a statement expected in the next few moments. we were told sometime after 10am. boris johnson, foreign secretary, has arrived at the foreign and commonwealth office this morning. did not say anything this morning but interesting that he is in work today. let's try to rejoin our correspondent in moscow for us. i think you can hear us now. as expected, a fairly robust response from russia? yes, i think it is. certainly, obviously, the expulsion of 22 diplomats from the british embassy here is as expected. —— 23 diplomats. it is totally reciprocal. what russia has also done in terms of stopping the operation of the british consulate in st petersburg, which is russia's second city, a really important city, a big population, that seems to be really going further.

richard galpin, bbc news.s remain with theirfamilies during thoughts and best wishes remain with their families during this difficult time. a full multi agency response was activated and currently involves public health england, the nhs, local authorities in both swindon and wiltshire and a wide range of partners. this has been a fast—paced investigation and our focus has partners. this has been a fast—paced investigation and ourfocus has been on trying to establish what has caused these people to become critically ill. and whether or not criminal activity has taken place. since sunday, we had access to a wide range of specialist resources and services that have been working alongside us. you will be aware this afternoon the metropolitan police have confirmed that due to the unusual circumstances, the counter—terrorism network will be reading this investigation, as it has the specialist capability and expertise to do so. it is important to reiterate they have not declared this is a terrorist incident. as at th

richard galpin has the latest.s after the attack here in salisbury and now the police and forensics experts are to be joined by around 200 soldiers specially trained in chemical warfare. theirjob, to help secure key locations, recover evidence and remove contaminated vehicles. experts say this is a highly unusual operation. these are highly specialised soldiers and airmen from the army's falcons quadrant, who are chemical reconnaissance, and from the raf regiment‘s specialist scenes. they will be very well trained and have the very best equipment. they will have all the detection needed to do sensitive site exploitation, no doubt the police and emergency services have identified vehicles and areas which they feel may be contaminated. these soldiers and airmen will be able to work out exactly what it is, and either decontaminated themselves or ta ke either decontaminated themselves or take the vehicles and equipment to somewhere like winterbourne gunner weather can be safely disposed of. double agent sergei skripal‘

and now we go to richard galpin in moscow. no response to the deadline? office, saying they have no idea about professionalism, diplomacy, and international law. they say they are fully fledged liars. it is very strong language. so far, though, nothing is being said from the kremlin. the spokesman of vladimir putin, normally we hear a lot from him. so far, silence on this issue since theresa may made a statement yesterday. meanwhile, of course, state—controlled tv channels are also being very strong in their language. of course, they are saying russia had nothing to do with the poisoning. at then some quotes from channel one, saying even fake evidence is not needed any more to level accusations against russia. it is enough to just use the phrase highly likely, of course, the original phrase used by theresa may highly likely, of course, the origir she 1rase used by theresa may if; tfi is; sattlflatfié " " the brexit secretary, david davis, has said he's prepared to accept the eu's offer of a shortened transition period of under two years after the uk leaves t

pauladams, bbc news. 0ur correspondent richard galpin is in moscow. dor to the uk saying this represents 40% of the staff in the embassy here and monday, one imagines that would do quite a bit of damage to their relations with the uk. i am absolutely, i think it is absolutely bound to. the fact that they think that most of them are russian spies to muscle it would have an impact on the ability of russian intelligence agents to gather information across britain. so it will have an impact. the russian ambassador to london has said that it will also mean that uk citizens are trying to get russian visas to come here. it will now take twice as long for those visas to be processed. they are trying to say thatis processed. they are trying to say that is because the number of people who have now been expelled from the united kingdom. although i cannot imagine that a lot of russian spies will be dealing with visas. there have been congratulations for president putin today on his reelection from president trump who spoke to him and also some quite effusive comme

richard galpin takes a look at what motives there might have been.hter yulia, now fighting for their lives, are not the only russians in britain who may have been targeted for assassination by moscow. it was proved the former spy, alexander litvinenko, was poisoned by radioactive polonium in london 12 years ago. and an inquest is continuing into the mysterious death in surrey of this whistle—blower, alexander perepilichny. this is the moment in 2004 when sergei skripal was arrested in russia for betraying his country. he was a military intelligence officer who'd been secretly supplying mi6 with information and was convicted for high treason. but after several years in prison, he was pardoned and was able to fly to britain as part of a spy swap. but that was never a guarantee he would be safe here. the fact that he was a british spy, a former member of the russian military, in the minds of most russians, they would categorise him as a traitor. so, yes, there would be, and there are, people there who would be delighted to see him dead. from the kremlin

our correspondent richard galpin is in moscow this morning.cting anything more from the kremlin today? well, obviously the key element today we are looking at is the presidential election which is now under way. i don't think there is going to be any surprise as to who will win. it's widely assumed it will win. it's widely assumed it will be vladimir putin, the man who has been in power since the end of 1999. he is seeking his fourth term in office and he will have another six years, assuming he does win. the only issue surrounding the election is what the turnout is going to be. people have seen mr putin in power for many years and whether there was a sense of apathy creeping in and thatis a sense of apathy creeping in and that is concern in the kremlin about that. they say they want 70% of the vote and 70% turnout. that is the question, whether they will achieve that. if it looks as if they won't achieve that, whether they're then becomes some element of fraud coming into the election. in 2011 there we re into the election. in 2011 there wer

our correspondent richard galpin is in moscow this morning.e polls today in russia and it is the election. it has been said that all week maybe the controversy and the crisis with the west has been engineered to make more people come out to the polls. is that right? i don't know if it has been engineered, but it is significant that the russians decided to announce its retaliation just yesterday, on the eve of the election. it probably doesn't help his strongman image, vladimir putin, the man who has stood up for russia against the nasty west, which is how the west has been perceived by the kremlin and has been for a long time. vladimir putin has been in power since the end of 1999, so it does help him to stand up as the strongman. but in the election there is no doubt who is going to win. it will be vladimir putin, not least because the only serious candidate, the opposition candidate, was barred from taking part in the election. it is an almost inevitable outcome that vladimir putin will win with a thumping majority. richard, thank you very m

we can speak now to richard galpin who is in moscow. there has been a series of events.moned to the ministry here in moscow. we now know that that meeting was inside the building was very short. he was therefore little more than ten minutes. he was handed the list of measures that russia was going to implement in retaliation to what britain has done, and as you say, that list includes 23 british diplomats being expelled from this country, expelled from the embassy, and that will take place, or has to ta ke and that will take place, or has to take place within a week. they have gone further. they are also saying that the british consulate in st petersburg affectively will have two cis petersburg affectively will have two c is operating. it is quite a big operation. st petersburg is russia's the second biggest city. that affects people getting visas to come to britain. they are also stopping the operation of the british council in this country. that provides a lot of cultural activities, language learning for russians, again. this is similarto learning for russians, again.

richard galpin reports.after the attack, and police, including large numbers from counter—terrorism command, are focusing their investigation on who was behind the attack. and they have spread to other areas of salisbury, into this car park. there has been further activity further afield in this area around seven miles from the city, it is not clear why. all this while detectives work to find out who was behind the attack and how and where sergei skripal and his daughter yulia ingested the nerve agent. they remain ina ingested the nerve agent. they remain in a critical condition in hospital. should you have acted sooner hospital. should you have acted sooner to alert the public? this morning, ministers arrived in downing street for a key meeting with senior officials. the question of who was behind the attack on how to respond high on the agenda and already, some politicians are expecting the prime minister to accuse russia. we are expecting the prime minister to make an announcement soon. and frankly i woul

stations appears to show election officials stuffing boxes with ballot papers. 0ur correspondent richard galpin to stuff the ballot is into boxes in one area. that was repeated in a number of locations. there was also a case of someone who had been dead for 14 years apparently still appearing on the electoral roll and a p pa re ntly appearing on the electoral roll and apparently still voting. and most seriously in terms of numbers, there were lots of reports of people, particularly those working for state institutions and companies, being forced to vote and proving it to their employers by taking selfies inside the polling stations.” their employers by taking selfies inside the polling stations. i am sure more will be investigated over the coming days. thank you to richard galpin in starry moscow. if you look at the papers this morning, you look at the papers this morning, you have the mirror andy sun. the television presenter, ant mcpartlin, has been arrested on suspicion of drink—driving. it is also on the front page of the express. 0ur arts and entertainment correspondent colin paterson is h