[jeffreyH (OP)]

Was the UK nerve agent attack designed to influence the Russian elections?

What do you think?

[Bored chemist]

Yes.
(what else would it have been for?)

[jeffreyH (OP)]

There's Putin getting all that patriotic fervour. He looks like a shaved stoat.

[syhprum]

I Too was puzzled as to what the motive for the attack on Skripal and Yulia could be it is some time since he has been active and If it was personal vengeance it was rather late.
It could of course have been an accident.
As I have pointed out previously there are several reason why they could have had either the genuine Russian product or the Porton down replica in their possession.
You must be familiar with the legend of Pandoras box Yulia could have been curious to confirm it was securely packaged !

[Bored chemist]

An accident involving two Russian dissidents and a Russian designed chemical weapon a few days before the elections in Russia.
It could have been an accident but it couldn't "simply" have been one..

[jeffreyH (OP)]

It's not compare ze vx cot com, it's compare ze novichok dot com.