Nerve agent poisoning victim Yulia Skripal says her strength is 'growing daily'
Yulia Skripal, who along with her father was poisoned by a nerve agent in Salisbury, has thanked well-wishers and said her strength is "growing daily".
In a statement released by the Metropolitan Police she thanked hospital staff and "the people of Salisbury that came to my aid".
Her statement comes as Russia's ambassador to the UK hit out at what he said was Britain's unwillingness to share information with Russia on the condition of Ms Skripal or her father, Sergei.
The Skripals are considered to be the victims of an apparent assassination attempt using a nerve agent identified as Novichok.
The finger of blame has been pointed squarely at Russia, but Moscow denies any involvement.
In her statement Ms Skripal said: "I woke up over a week ago now and am glad to say my strength is growing daily. I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received.
"I have many people to thank for my recovery and would especially like to mention the people of Salisbury that came to my aid when my father and I were incapacitated. Further than that, I would like to thank the staff at Salisbury District Hospital for their care and professionalism.
"I am sure you appreciate that the entire episode is somewhat disorientating, and I hope that you’ll respect my privacy and that of my family during the period of my convalescence."
Earlier a Russian state television channel released a recording of what it claimed was a phone call between Ms Skripal and her cousin, Viktoria, who is in Russia.
Rossiya TV said that Viktoria provided the recording, in which Ms Skripal supposedly says that she and her father are recovering, and that her father's health had not been irreparably damaged by the attack.
In London, Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko meanwhile complained the Foreign Office had kept his embassy in the dark about the Skripals and was "not answering our notes".
Mr Yakovenko said his government had received little information about the condition of Yulia and her father, despite their being Russian citizens, and instead had to rely on conflicting media reports.
"What we hear is just the leaks from the press. Every day a new version. Everyday a new story," he said.
He also repeated the claims of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that the poisoning may have been carried out to "divert attention from Brexit".
He described as untrue and "unacceptable" a claim by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's that Moscow maintains a stockpile of Novichok "likely for assassinations" and denied that Russia had ever manufactured the never agent.
Russia has appealed for the UK to issue visas for relatives to visit the Skripals in hospital in Salisbury.
Mr Yakovenko said that Ms Skripal's sister had been waiting for two days for a visa to come to Britain to visit her in hospital.
Commenting on Ms Skripal's statement, which was released as he was speaking to journalists, he said: "I'm really happy and I hope Sergei Skripal will also recover and I'm quite sure that one day Yulia will come back to Moscow where she has job, apartments, she is a wealthy person and she is doing well.
"As far as the father, that is his choice, he decided to live here in the UK, no problem."
Mr Skripal, a former Russian spy, was a double agent who moved to the UK as part of a deal with Moscow.