Daughter of poisoned spy Sergei Skripal says she is 'lucky to be alive' after Russian nerve agent attack plot targeted her and her father in Salisbury

The daughter of Sergei Skripal, the spy poisoned in a nerve agent plot on UK soil, has spoken out for the first time following the attack saying she and her father are both lucky to be alive.

Yulia Skripal today made her first remarks in a long statement following the assassination attempt on her and her father in the centre of Salisbury two months ago.

She told Reuters that the recovery process for her and her father has been “slow and painful.”

Ms Skripal, 33, the daughter of former Russian spy Sergei, 66, was poisoned alongside her father on March 4 in an incident that sparked a major diplomatic row with Russia.

Ms Skripal gave a written statement to Reuters from a secret location in London and is currently under the protection of the British state after being discharged from Salisbury District Hospital five weeks after the poisoning.

She told the news agency: “As I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally, I take one day at a time and want to help care for my Dad till his full recovery.”

Ms Skripal added that at some point she hopes to return to Russia.

The 33-year-old said she was "grateful" for offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy, adding: "At the moment I do not wish to avail myself of their services.

“Also, I want to reiterate what I said in my earlier statement, that no one speaks for me, or for my father but ourselves.”

The poisoning sparked a huge international row after the UK government said Russia was responsible for it. In response, Prime Minister Theresa May ordered the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats from Britain.

Her father was discharged from Salisbury District Hospital last week after spending two months there.

Lorna Wilkison, director of nursing at the hospital said: "Treating him and the other two people poisoned by this nerve agent, while still providing outstanding care to the other patients who rely on our hospital, has been a huge and unprecedented challenge that I'm proud our staff at Salisbury Hospital have risen to."

Ms Skripal thanked staff at the hospital: “I am grateful to all of the wonderful, kind staff at Salisbury hospital, a place I have become all too familiar with. I also think fondly of those who helped us on the street on the day of the attack.”

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said that a "very small amount" of the deadly Novichok substance was used against Sergei Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia.