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Detectives are still questioning poisoned spy Sergei Skripal as he recovers in hospital, nearly 10 weeks after being attacked with a nerve agent, Sky News has learned.

, as more details emerged of his recent activities.

They want to know more about his regular train journeys to London, his trips abroad, and his monthly meetings with his alleged former MI6 handler in a Salisbury restaurant.

It was reported this week that the 66-year-old had been briefing intelligence agencies in the Czech Republic and Estonia on Russian spies and their methods, giving one lecture as recently as 2016.

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Would that activity, years after arriving in Britain in a spy swap with Moscow, have been motive enough for the murder attempt on him and his daughter Yulia?

The government insists the Kremlin was responsible for the attack, in which the deadly nerve agent novichok was smeared on the front door handle of Mr Skripal's Salisbury home.

But former KGB officer and espionage historian Alexander Vassiliev said it was more likely the work of the Russian mafia, out to embarrass Vladimir Putin's regime.

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:: How Sergei and Yulia Skripal survived the novichok attack

Mr Vassiliev said: "It wasn't the reason to kill him. I'm sure when Putin released him, and pardoned him, he knew Skripal would be co-operating with British secret services and other European espionage agencies.

"All defectors are doing it, they work as consultants, they give lectures, they write books - it's a normal thing. He had to earn his living somehow - he wouldn't have been a taxi driver.

"Skripal was arrested in 2004 - that was a long time ago and he didn't know specific details about current objectives or operatives. The Russian government had no reason to kill Skripal - he was nobody and he wasn't a danger.

"It was obvious that killing him would create a huge international scandal that would damage Russian reputation all over the world."

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Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied any state involvement and repeated an accusation that the UK authorities had "abducted" Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who was also contaminated by the nerve agent.

Ms Zakharova said: "If they don't need our help, the British side should let them say that in person.

"Under the current conditions . Actions such as these by the UK constitute a serious violation of bilateral agreements."

Ms Skripal, 33, and is staying at a secret location near Salisbury while she continues to get medical care. .

Meanwhile, an art instillation of 3,000 origami paper doves to mark the First World War centenary in Salisbury Cathedral has taken on a deeper significance as the city tries to encourage back tourists.

Many shops have created their own doves and hung them as symbols of peace and freedom to welcome the return of visitors and boost trade, which fell dramatically after the attack.