The Kremlin is demanding to see Yulia Skripal in hospital after it was revealed she is awake and talking.
The daughter of ex-spy Sergei Skripal is improving rapidly after being poisoned with a nerve agent.
The Russian government tweeted: Good news. We insist on the right to see her.
At least one family member has applied for a UK visa and is expected to travel to visit Yulia, 33.
Cousin Natalia, 65, said the family was overjoyed at news that her life is no longer in danger and that she is conscious and talking.
Dad Sergei, 66, remains in a coma, four weeks after the pair were found collapsed in Salisbury, Wilts.
Although it was feared they could never recover, but Dr Christine Blanshard, medical director for Salisbury District Hospital, said yesterday that Yulia’s condition had improvied.
In her first public statement, Natalia said from her home in Siberia: To say we were happy to hear of Yulia’s improvement would be the greatest understatement.
They were overjoyed by the Salisbury hospital announcement.
Natalia added: These have been some of the longest and scariest days for the whole family from the moment the news broke about the poisoning at the beginning of March.
The tears, the angst, the fear, us all not being able to help them and feeling useless so far away here in Russia.
I can’t describe the feeling of relief we all felt when British newspapers reported that hospital found Yulia not to be in critical condition any longer.
It is still not clear what the long term damage to Yulia’s health will be.
It was previously feared she may never recover from the nerve agent attack earlier this month.
The 33-year-old is still is in need of round-the-clock care at Salisbury District Hospital but has responded well to treatment, medics said.
Ahead of the news of Yulia’s improvement, Sergei Skripal’s niece Viktoria had said the prognosis for the pair really isn’t good.
Out of 99 per cent I have maybe one per cent of hope, she told the BBC’s Russian language service.
Natalia said today: We all hoped and prayed for their recovery, but it was incredibly hard to listen to all the reports about them having zero chances to survive.
We are so happy that Yulia’s condition is better.
Now that she is out of immediate danger, we sincerely hope she will not become a pawn in a political game.
Russia denies any role in their poisoning.
But Britain, major EU countries and the US have expelled Russian diplomats after Theresa May insisted Moscow was behind the Novichok attack in Salisbury.
Police now believe the pair were poisoned by the deadly agent at Sergei Skripal’s front door.