MOSCOW, April 6 (Itar-Tass) - RIA Novosti. Two guinea pigs of the Violins died from dehydration in the absence of the owners, and one of the two cats was found in serious condition and put to sleep, all three animals were cremated after death, the newspaper Mirror reported citing representatives of the British Ministry of Ecology.

On Thursday evening, the Russian embassy officially addressed the UK Foreign Ministry with a request to provide information on the condition of Sergei Skripal's pets - two cats and two guinea pigs. According to him, knowing about the fate of animals is important in the context of the ongoing investigation: in order to better understand what happened to Sergei and Julia Skripal, it is important to know whether the animals also suffered from chemical poisoning.

After Sergey Skripal's poisoning, veterinarians did not have access to the house for several days, and when they entered - the guinea pigs were already dead, since they had no water, a representative of the Ministry of Ecology told the newspaper.

Black Persian cat Fiddler named Nash van Drake was found in a state of stress. He was taken to the Porton Down chemical laboratory for testing, but the animal suffered so much that they decided to kill him.

All three animals were cremated for fear that they might have been infected with the "Novice" substance.

Sergei Skripal's niece Victoria said earlier that the neighbors saw one of the cats running away from home.

Relations between Russia and Britain sharply deteriorated against the background of the incident in the British Salisbury, where British spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned. The British side claims that the Russian state is involved in the poisoning of the Violins by the nerve agent A234. Russia categorically denies its involvement in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal.

Link: https://ria.ru/world/20180406/1518036883.html