MOSCOW: The “bravery” of a veteran BBC reporter had been praised by several British media outlets after he confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin with a question about the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal.
Steve Rosenberg, the BBC’s Moscow correspondent, asked Putin if Russia was behind the poisoning of the double agent and his daughter Yulia in the UK last week.
Rosenberg asked Putin during an agriculture event in Krasnodar, south-west Russia: “Is Russia behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal?“
Putin smirked at the reporter, as he considered his answer.
“Look, we’re busy here with agriculture,” he replied. “As you can see, the aim is to create good conditions for people’s lives, and you ask me about some tragedies.
“Get to the bottom of things here first, and then we’ll talk about this.”
Putin has previously shrugged off questions about the Skripals at a campaign-related event.
Rosenberg was hailed by fellow journalists on social media for his “bravery.”
Skripal was previously jailed by Russia after being convicted of espionage when it was discovered he was working as a double-agent for MI6 during his time in the GRU military intelligence service.
The 66-year-old was given refuge in Britain as part of an exchange in 2010, and settled with his family in Salisbury, UK.
He was attacked last week by a nerve agent attack in the English cathedral city of Salisbury, leaving more than a dozen others injured.
British Prime Minister Theresa May, backed by the United States, has pointed fingers at Russia, saying it was behind the poisoning attack.
“This attempted murder using a weapons-grade nerve agent in a British town was not just a crime against the Skripals.
“It was an indiscriminate and reckless act against the United Kingdom, putting the lives of innocent civilians at risk. ‘And we will not tolerate such a brazen attempt to murder innocent civilians on our soil.”