Czechia produced and tested Novichok: Zeman

Czech Republic President Milos Zeman has told journalists that the country had conducted research using the nerve agent which military intelligence ranks to Novichok poisons family.

As reported by the Irozhlas radio, Zeman ordered to give him a report after poisoning in the UK ex-employee of the GRU Sergei Skripal. According to the Czech Security and Information Service (BIS), last November, a nerve agent called A230 was tested. Military intelligence classifies it as Novichok, although opinions of scientists on this issue diverge.

"We did produce and taste Novichok, though in insignificant amounts, and then it was destroyed. We know exactly when and under what circumstances this happened, and it would be foolish to pretend that nothing like this happened. Now the research has been stopped," the president of the Czech Republic said.

EADaily reported earlier that Russia's Permanent Representative to the OPCW Alexander Shulgin during a speech at a meeting of the executive council presented documents that, as he said, prove the US produced and patented the Novichok substance.

According to the British authorities, this very agent was used in ex-GRU employee Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia poisoning in Salisbury on March 4. Then London stated that it was produced in Russia, although no one, including the OPCW, confirmed this.