MOSCOW, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Russia will take proportional measures against British media if Britain imposes restrictions on Russia's state-owned news channel RT, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin warned on Tuesday.
He made the remarks amid the ongoing tension simmering between Russia and Britain over the spy poisoning incident.
"There are no reasons here to discuss the issue of persecuting our Russian media in Britain ... but if officials of the British authorities follow this path, we will certainly consider mirrored responses. And we will definitely do so," Volodin told reporters here.
Sergei Skripal, a former Russian intelligence officer, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia, a Russian citizen, were found unconscious on a bench at a shopping center in the district of Salisbury, England, on March 5. They remain in critical condition in hospital, according to reports.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement to the House of Commons Monday that evidence showed Skripal had been targeted by a "military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia." She has demanded an explanation from Moscow by Tuesday.
Moscow, for its part, has dismissed May's claims that Russia could be behind Skripal's poisoning as "groundless and unreasonable."
However, after May's speech, some British media had discussed the possible measures Britain might take over the poisoning.
One possibility is that a number of Russian media outlets, including RT, could be stripped of their license in Britain, according to reports.
The Duma might prepare a special statement in connection with Britain's accusations, Volodin said.
