Former Russian intelligence colonel Sergei Skripal has suffered severely after contact with an unknown substance at a shopping center in the English town of Salisbury, the BBC reported.

"Two people - a man of about 60 years of age and a woman (found out to be be Skripal's daughter) are unconscious on a bench at the Mallings Mall in Salisbury," said Wilshire County Police Officer Craig Holden.

They ruled out the version of a terrorist attack, but stressed that for the time being it has not yet been established whether it is a crime. Both of them had no visible injuries were immediately taken to hospital. They are in a critical state of resuscitation. At the embassy of Russia in the UK, they reported to the TASS correspondent that they had no data on Skripal and had no extra information outside of the media.

Former Colonel General Intelligence in the General Staff of Russia's Armed Forces Sergey Skripal was arrested by Russia's FSB in December 2004. In the course of the investigation, it became clear that he was recruited in 1995 by the United States intelligence, and transmitted information of state secrecy.

He was sentenced to 13 years in prison and was deprived of his titles. On June 9, 2010, there was an exchange of persons accused of espionage between Russia and the United States. Among the exchanged persons on the Russian side is Sergei Skripal. Since 2010, 66-year-old Skripal lives in the UK, in Salisbury.