Poison Victim Yulia Skripal Discharged From U.K. Hospital

Yulia Skripal had been hospitalized since March 4.

Yulia Skripal, the poisoned daughter of a Russian former spy, has been discharged from a hospital in the English city of Salisbury.

"Yulia has now been discharged from Salisbury District Hospital," Christine Blanshard, medical director at Salisbury District Hospital, said in a statement on April 10, adding that her father had also made "good progress."

"This is not the end of her treatment but marks a significant milestone," she added.

The BBC earlier reported that the 33-year-old had left the hospital on April 9 and taken to a secure location.

The Russian Embassy in London issued a tweet in which it congratulate\d Yulia Skripal on her recovery. "Yet we need urgent proof that what is being done to her is done on her own free will," it added.

Yulia Skripal and her father, Sergei Skripal, 66, were hospitalized on March 4 after being exposed to a potent nerve toxin and found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury, in southern England.

In an April 5 statement issued by police on Yulia Skripal's behalf, she said her strength was "growing daily" and asked for privacy during the period of her convalescence.

"Yulia has asked for privacy from the media and I want to reiterate that request," Blanshard said on April 10.

She added that Sergei Skripal, who is no longer in critical condition, had "also made good progress."

"Although he is recovering more slowly than Yulia, we hope that he too will be able to leave hospital in due course," Blanshard said.

The British government is expected to keep details about Yulia Skripal's location secret given the sensitivity of the case, which dramatically deepened already severe strains in ties between Moscow and the West.

Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed the news of her discharge from hospital and wished her the best for her recovery.

The Russian Embassy in London also congratulated Yulia Skripal on her recovery in a tweet.

"Yet we need urgent proof that what is being done to her is done on her own free will," it added.

A separate Twitter post said, "Secret resettlement of Mr and Ms Skripal, barred from any contact with their family will be seen as an abduction or at least as their forced isolation."

Britain accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin's government of trying to kill the pair with a military-grade chemical substance known as novichok, which was developed in the Soviet Union.

Russia denies involvement in the poisoning, which prompted Britain and more than two dozen Western allies to expel over 150 Russian diplomatic staff, in a move reciprocated days later by Moscow.

Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russia's military intelligence agency, was convicted of treason in 2006 by a Russian court that found him guilty of spying for Britain.

Russia released him from prison in 2010, sending him to the West in a Cold War-style spy swap.

With reporting by the BBC