Two men accused by London of poisoning former spy Sergei Skripal denied being involved with the murder attempt in a bizarre Russian media interview that Britain dismissed as "an insult to the public's intelligence".
Putin said that two men Britain suspects of poisoning former spy Sergei Skripal with military-grade nerve agent had been identified as "civilians" and were not criminals.
Britain charged two Russians in absentia on Wednesday with the attempted murder of a former Russian spy and his daughter, saying the suspects were military intelligence officers almost certainly acting on orders from high up in the Russian state.
British prosecutors identified two Russians who they accused of trying to murder former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with a military-grade nerve agent in England.
Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, who was poisoned with a nerve agent in Britain, triggering a diplomatic crisis with Russia, has been discharged from hospital.
Britain accused Russia of breaking the two-decade international ban on chemical weapons at emergency talks into last month's poisoning with a nerve agent of a former Russian spy.
Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal is no longer in critical condition and his health is improving rapidly more than a month since he was poisoned with a nerve agent.
British Prime Minister Theresa May will seek to unite EU leaders in condemnation of Moscow over the poisoning of a former Russian spy, but she faces resistance from states keen to protect their Kremlin ties.
Moscow said Britain either failed to protect a Russian national from what it termed a "terrorist attack" or was itself behind the poisoning of a former double agent and his daughter in England.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said Russia was to blame for the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, rejecting denials from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Moscow will expel British diplomats in response to London's move to kick out 23 Russian officials over the poisoning of ex-double agent Sergei Skripal. says Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
MOSCOW: A Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman on Thursday described allegations by British Prime Minister Theresa May that Russia was to blame for the nerve...