Vladimir Putin has been deemed “morally responsible” for the death of a mother of three who was poisoned by Novichok, a lethal nerve agent left on the streets of Britain by Russian operatives, according to findings from an inquiry into the incident.
Dawn Sturgess, aged 44, tragically passed away three weeks after unwittingly spraying herself with the deadly substance, mistaking it for perfume in July 2018. Her partner, Charlie Rowley, also fell ill but survived, along with Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey and former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who had been poisoned four months earlier by Novichok placed on their front door handle.
The inquiry chairman, Lord Hughes of Ombersley, emphasized that the evidence pointing to a Russian state-sponsored assassination attempt was overwhelming and served as a significant display of Russian state power both domestically and internationally.
Following these conclusions, the government has imposed wide-ranging sanctions against Russia, with the UK Foreign Office declaring that the entirety of the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU, is now under sanction. Lord Hughes explicitly stated, “I have concluded that the operation to assassinate Sergei Skripal must have been authorized at the highest level by President Putin.”
The inquiry, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Lord Hughes, presented its long-awaited findings at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London. The inquiry heard extensive evidence over a period of seven weeks, including details about three Russian GRU agents identified as Alexander Petrov, Ruslan Boshirov, and Sergey Fedotov, who were dispatched from Russia to carry out the attack.
Lord Hughes dismissed any notion that the assault on Colonel Skripal could have been a personal vendetta by the GRU officers, affirming that such a high-profile attack would have required authorization at the highest levels of the Russian government. He highlighted the reckless actions of the Russian agents in leaving Novichok on the door handle, potentially endangering numerous individuals, including innocent bystanders and emergency workers.
The report underscored the brazenness and recklessness of the attack, noting that the deployment of a highly toxic nerve agent in a populated area posed a significant risk to public safety beyond the intended target. Lord Hughes also acknowledged the commendable efforts of paramedics and medical staff in treating the victims, emphasizing the unavoidable and tragic outcome in Dawn Sturgess’s case despite the medical care provided.
In a closing statement to the inquiry’s core participants, including Dawn’s family, Lord Hughes expressed his condolences and gratitude for their cooperation. He concluded that Dawn Sturgess was an innocent victim of a Russian state-sponsored assassination attempt and held the Russian operatives and their superiors, including President Putin, morally responsible for her untimely death.
The inquiry’s findings also addressed the management of the risk posed to Sergei Skripal and the adequacy of security measures, noting some failings in his handling but determining that these lapses did not directly contribute to the tragic outcome. The report did not contain specific recommendations, prompting criticism from Dawn Sturgess’s family, who expressed concerns over the lack of actionable steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the deliberate actions of President Putin and the GRU that led to the loss of a British citizen’s life and endangered others on UK soil. Cooper reiterated the UK’s commitment to countering Russian aggression and emphasized the need to confront hostile Russian activities to safeguard British citizens and national security.