Spy's daughter speaks for the first time since Salisbury nerve agent attack, saying she woke up 'over a week ago' and that her 'strength is growing daily'

Yulia Skripal has revealed she woke up "over a week ago" after being found poisoned and unconscious in Salisbury in March.

Ms Skripal, 33, the daughter of former Russian spy Sergei, 66, was poisoned alongside her father last month in an incident that sparked international tensions with Russia.

Both were understood to be seriously ill in hospital. But after Russian state broadcasters claimed she had contacted Russian family on Thursday, she revealed she was in recovery.

In a statement issued as she recovers in Salisbury District Hospital, Yulia said: “I woke up over a week ago now and am glad to say my strength is growing daily.

"I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received.

“I have many people to thank for my recovery and would especially like to mention the people of Salisbury that came to my aid when my father and I were incapacitated.

"Further than that, I would like to thank the staff at Salisbury District Hospital for their care and professionalism.

“I am sure you appreciate that the entire episode is somewhat disorientating, and I hope that you’ll respect my privacy and that of my family during the period of my convalescence.”

The revelation comes as the Russian ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko demanded an "international presence" in the investigation into the Salisbury poisoning.

In a press conference on Thursday, Mr Yakovenko said Russia had "suspicions" about the UK and the number of Russian citizens to have died there in "very strange circumstances".

He denied his country had produced the Novichok nerve agent. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's claim that Russia maintained a stockpile of Novichok "likely for assassination" was "untrue... not supported by any evidence ... unacceptable", he said.

Mr Yakovenko told reporters that he was "really happy" after Yulia Skripal issued a statement stating that she was "getting stronger daily".

The ambassador added that he was "quite sure" Ms Skripal would return to Moscow where she has a job and apartment.

He said: "I'm really happy and I hope Sergei Skripal will also recover and I'm quite sure that one day Yulia will come back to Moscow where she has job, apartments, she is a wealthy person and she is doing well.

"As far as the father, that is his choice, he decided to live here in the UK, no problem."

Mr Yakovenko later dismissed accusations that the Russian Embassy was "trolling" the UK with its Twitter account.

On March 18 the Russian Embassy tweeted: "In absence of evidence, we definitely need Poirot in Salisbury!"

Mr Yakovenko said: "We are not trolling, we are puzzled."

He added: "We need the investigation, that was the message. I understand that you didn't like this form probably because you watched Poirot and you know what's behind these stories."

Experts at Porton Down said they had been unable to identify "the precise source" of the nerve agent used to poison the pair.

Gary Aitkenhead, the chief executive of the Government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, said the poison had been identified as a military-grade Novichok nerve agent which could probably be deployed only by a nation-state.

But he told Sky News it was not the military research facility's job to say where the substance was manufactured - despite Boris Johnson's claims that scientists had proven "beyond doubt" it was produced in Russia.