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Headline: UK inquiry concludes Russian President Putin authorized the 2018 Novichok nerve agent poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, leading to death of Dawn Sturgess.
Short Summary: A UK public inquiry in 2025 concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized the 2018 poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with the Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England. The attack was a reckless display of state power that led to the death in 2018 of Dawn Sturgess, who was exposed to the poison months later when she came into contact with a discarded Novichok-containing perfume bottle used by the GRU operatives involved in the attack. The inquiry, led by former UK Supreme Court judge Anthony Hughes, found overwhelming evidence that GRU military intelligence officers carried out the assassination attempt under Putin's direct orders. Russian diplomats denied involvement, calling accusations baseless. The poisoning strained UK-Russia relations further, prompting new UK sanctions against GRU and diplomatic expulsions. The inquiry classified the attack as a public statement by Russia to demonstrate its willingness to act decisively in defense of its interests, marking a lethal use of chemical weapons on UK soil.
Extended Summary: A UK public inquiry in 2025 concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized the 2018 poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with the Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England. The attack was a reckless display of state power that led to the death in 2018 of Dawn Sturgess, who was exposed to the poison months later when she came into contact with a discarded Novichok-containing perfume bottle used by the GRU operatives involved in the attack. The inquiry, led by former UK Supreme Court judge Anthony Hughes, found overwhelming evidence that GRU military intelligence officers carried out the assassination attempt under Putin's direct orders. Russian diplomats denied involvement, calling accusations baseless. The poisoning strained UK-Russia relations further, prompting new UK sanctions against GRU and diplomatic expulsions. The inquiry classified the attack as a public statement by Russia to demonstrate its willingness to act decisively in defense of its interests, marking a lethal use of chemical weapons on UK soil.
On March 4, 2018, Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England, by Russian military intelligence (GRU) operatives. The poison was applied to Skripal's home door handle. Months later, Dawn Sturgess died from exposure after coming into contact with a discarded container of the same nerve agent. A UK public inquiry in 2025 found overwhelming evidence that the operation was authorized at the highest level by Russian President Vladimir Putin. British police charged three GRU operatives in absentia. The attack was deemed a reckless, deliberate act of state terrorism intended as a public statement of Russian power. The UK responded with sanctions against GRU and diplomatic measures. Russia denied all involvement, calling accusations propaganda.
The event clearly documents a hostile Russian state action against a UK molecule resulting in poisoning and death, constituting aggression. It also includes UK government defensive responses such as sanctions and diplomatic expulsions, indicating defense preparation. The thorough UK public inquiry and official charges confirm attribution and response.
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