Putin Blamed in UK Poisoning That Killed Innocent Woman

A British public inquiry has concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin bears “moral responsibility” for the 2018 Novichok poisonings in Salisbury, England, which ultimately caused the death of Dawn Sturgess, Politico reports. Sturgess died after unknowingly spraying herself with what appeared to be perfume—actually a discarded bottle containing the Russian nerve agent Novichok. The bottle had been given to her by her partner, unaware that it had been used months earlier in an assassination attempt targeting former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia.

Inquiry chair Anthony Hughes acknowledged shortcomings in the protection of the Skripals but also emphasized that even extensive surveillance was unlikely to prevent a “professionally mounted attack with a nerve agent.” Hughes described Sturgess’s death as “needless and arbitrary,” and determined that the attempt on Skripal’s life “must have been authorized at the highest level, by President Putin.” In response, the UK government has imposed sanctions on Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, and summoned the Russian ambassador.

No one has been charged in Sturgess’s death. The Associated Press notes that her partner, Charles Rowley—also exposed to the Novichok—survived. British authorities identified two Russian agents, Alexander Mishkin and Anatoliy Chepiga, as the operatives who carried out the attack, but both fled to Russia before they could be arrested. The charges they face, which include attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, and use of a chemical weapon, apply only to the Skripal case.

The inquiry into Sturgess’s death, launched six years after the incident, comes after more than 80 people were hospitalized in the aftermath of the poisoning. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the findings “a grave reminder of the Kremlin’s disregard for innocent lives,” adding that Sturgess’s death underscores Russia’s “reckless aggression.” Her family welcomed the report as a step toward closure, saying they can “finally put her to peace,” though they also noted that the inquiry leaves several questions unresolved.

original source