Russia's Putin calls poisoned ex-spy 'scumbag,' traitor
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called Sergei Skripal, the ex-spy who was poisoned with a military grade nerve agent in Britain, a traitor and a "scumbag."
It was the first time Putin directly condemned Skripal, who spent weeks hospitalized with his daughter after both were poisoned in the city of Salisbury in March. Britain put the blame squarely on the Russian government, but Moscow has denied any role in the attack.
Asked about international sanctions on Russia triggered by the poisoning, Putin called the ex-spy a "traitor" who betrayed his country and "just a scumbag."
