British investigation holds Putin responsible for Dawn Sturgess's Novichok death

Dec. 4 A British investigation into the fatal nerve agent incident in Salisbury in July 2018 concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin bears "moral responsibility" for the death of Dawn Sturgess. The inquiry revealed that 44-year-old Sturgess, a mother of three, was fatally poisoned after spraying herself with a substance she believed was perfume, which was in fact the deadly nerve agent Novichok, left behind by Russian operatives.

Anthony Hughes, head of the inquiry, stated that Sturgess condition was "unsurvivable from an early stage," and that no medical intervention could have prevented her death, despite initial police assumptions linking the case to drugs. Hughes explained that Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov had traveled to Salisbury to target former double agent Sergei Skripal by applying Novichok to his front door handle, before recklessly abandoning a contaminated bottle in a public area.

The report determined that all individuals involved, including Putin, who reportedly authorized the operation "at the highest level," were "morally responsible" for Sturgess death. The attack was described as a calculated display of Russian power intended to make an impact both internationally and domestically. Skripal and his daughter Yulia suffered severe illness from the Novichok exposure but survived, and a responding police officer was also seriously injured.

Hughes emphasized that Petrov and Boshirovs disposal of the Novichok container in a park was an "astonishingly reckless act." Both men have consistently denied involvement, claiming they were merely tourists, a stance echoed by Moscow.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident a "grave reminder of the Kremlin's disregard for innocent lives," prompting the summoning of the Russian ambassador to the Foreign Office. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced sanctions on Russias military intelligence agency, the GRU, condemning the attack as "brazen and despicable aggression on British soil." Former Prime Minister Theresa May remarked that the Russian agents casual disposal of such a lethal chemical highlighted their disregard for human life.

Author: Gavin Porter