A Russian scientist who claimed to develop the nerve agent that poisoned Sergei Skripal has reportedly been hit by a car in Russia

BBC

• Vladimir Uglev has reportedly been hit by a car in Russia.
• He claimed to be one of the developers of the Novichok nerve agent, which was used to poison Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
• He told the BBC earlier this month that the Skripals were "not the first victims" of the Russian-created poison.

A Russian scientist who developed the nerve agent used to poison ex-spy Sergei Skripal was hit by a car in Russia earlier this week, local media has reported.

Vladimir Uglev, who claimed to be one of the developers of the military-grade Novichok poison, told Russian news site The Bell he was struck while crossing a street near his home in southern Russia on Tuesday.

He was taken to hospital with injuries to his head, arm, and leg, and is recovering, The Moscow Times reported. The perpetrator and motive remain unknown.

Earlier this month, Uglev told the BBC earlier this month that he was one of the developers that "helped create Novichok" for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and that the Skripals were "not the first victims on my conscience."

Britain has accused Russia of manufacturing the poison used in the Skripals' attack, and named a secretive military lab in southwestern Russia as the source.

The Kremlin has continued to deny the existence of chemical weapons in its country, and repeatedly claimed their innocence in the Skripal attack.