Dawn Sturgess died in 2018 after coming into contact with the Novichok nerve agent in an attack targeting former Russian spy Sergei Skripal
A public inquiry in the United Kingdom concluded that Vladimir Putin is “morally responsible” for the death of Dawn Sturgess, who lost her life in 2018 after spraying herself with the nerve agent Novichok, stored in a perfume bottle.
The chemical weapon was allegedly brought to British soil by Russian agents in an attempt to assassinate Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy exiled in the United Kingdom.
The person responsible for the investigation, Lord Hughes of Ombersley, stated that the attempted assassination of Skripal was “authorized at the highest level, by President Putin” and that the “evidence that this was an attack by the Russian state is overwhelming”, adding that the attack was carried out by the Russian military intelligence group GRU.
Hughes asserted that the Russian agents who administered the nerve agent in the Skripal attack discarded the vial without any consideration of the danger it posed to innocent people.
“There is a direct causal link between the use and disposal of Novichok (…) and the death of Dawn Sturgess,” Hughes said.
After the investigation’s conclusion was released, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced new sanctions on the GRU and said that the United Kingdom will always challenge “Putin’s brutal regime”.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper summoned the Russian ambassador to demand a response to the inquiry’s findings.
In a statement at the end of the inquest, Sturgess’ family said they were “left with some answers, but also a number of unanswered questions”.
