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Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised the operation that resulted in the fatal poisoning of a British citizen with novichok nerve agent in Salisbury in 2018, a UK public inquiry found on Thursday.
The report, by former Supreme Court judge Lord Anthony Hughes, said Moscow’s GRU military intelligence service was responsible for the death of Dawn Sturgess, who sprayed herself with novichok-infused fluid from a perfume bottle.
The intended target of the nerve agent had been Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy who defected to the UK.
After publication of the findings, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced new sanctions on the GRU, adding that the UK would always stand up to “Putin’s brutal regime” and “murderous machine”.
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper had also summoned Russia’s ambassador to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in order to demand a response to the inquiry’s findings, the government added.
“The report confirms what the UK government has long assessed — Russia’s reckless use of a military grade nerve agent on UK soil led to the death of a British citizen,” the government said.
“The FCDO further demanded an end to Russia’s ongoing campaign of hostile activity against the UK and Nato.”
This is a developing story