Putin ordered Skripal Salisbury poisonings in show of ‘Russian power’, Dawn Sturgess inquiry finds
A major investigation into the Salisbury novichok poisonings has found that Vladimir Putin ordered the “stunningly reckless” assassination attempt on Sergei Skripal as a “public display of Russian power”.
The inquest placed blame for the attack on the Russian president, saying he was “morally responsible” for the death of innocent Dawn Sturgess, who was found at the scene after being exposed to a chemical weapon left in a discarded perfume bottle in Amesbury, Wiltshire, in July 2018.
Her death came four months after Mr Skripal, a former spy, attempted to murder his daughter Yulia and a police officer Nick Bailey; They were all harmed when members of the Russian GRU military intelligence team applied nerve agent to Mr. Skripal’s door handle.
Retired Supreme Court judge Anthony Hughes, who led the review into Sturgess’s death, found that the attempted assassination of Mr Skripal “must have been authorized by President Putin at the highest level” and that GRU agents were “acting on instructions” when carrying out the attack.
“It is clear that this attack demonstrates serious determination and is expected to be seen as a public demonstration of Russian power,” he said.
Following the report’s publication, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warned that Putin and his agents pose “an active threat to UK citizens, our security and well-being”.
He said in a statement: “We will not tolerate this brazen and despicable aggression on British soil. We are therefore exposing and sanctioning those who carry out malicious acts against Moscow and stepping up efforts to crush hostile Russian hybrid activities.”
The GRU is now fully endorsed by the UK government, the Russian ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office, and action has also been taken against 11 individuals linked to state-sponsored hostile activities.
The report’s release comes as hopes for a US-brokered peace deal in Ukraine, whose illegal occupation began four years after the Novichok attacks, are fading.
Former Prime Minister Theresa May said the report showed Britain was “under constant threat from Russian espionage”, adding that the government must “continue to stand firm in the face of Russian aggression”.
He said: “I have always believed that the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter was part of a more aggressive stance by Russia that would lead to further consequences. Four years later Putin invaded Ukraine and we are constantly under threat from Russian espionage.”
“The Russians carelessly released a chemical weapon onto the streets of the UK, endangering lives and killing Dawn Sturgess. The Dawn Sturgess Inquiry report shows it is vital we continue to stand firm in the face of Russian aggression.”
The report concluded that the assassination attempt on Mr. Skripal “was not merely designed to take revenge against him, but also amounted to a public declaration that Russia would act decisively in its interests.”
He also suggested the Kremlin would accept attribution of the “staggeringly reckless” attack to Russia.
“Although the attack poses a significant geopolitical risk, I conclude that a public demonstration of the power of the Russian state in terms of both international and domestic influence is the most likely analysis of what is happening,” the report said.
Lord Hughes’ investigation, which cost £8.3 million, avoided serious criticism of the British state over its handling of Mr Skripal, arguing that it would not be reasonable to give him a completely new identity to prevent an attack on him.
While Sturgess’s family’s lawyer, Michael Mansfield KC, argued that the Security Service should have created a completely new identity to protect Mr Skripal from attacks, the inquiry concluded that this could only be reasonable “if the risk of assassination on UK soil is high and it is not”.
But Sturgess’s family expressed “real concern” at the lack of recommendations in the report, saying it left them with “a number of unanswered questions”.
The following statements were made in the statement: “Today’s report does not explain to the public how the risks that led to Dawn’s death will be prevented in the future. There was no adequate risk assessment for Skripal.” [and] No protective steps were taken. “This is a serious concern both for us and for the future.”
They added: “Today’s report leaves us with some answers but also unanswered questions. We have always wanted to ensure that what happened to Dawn does not happen to others, that lessons are learned and meaningful changes are made.”
“There are no recommendations in today’s report. This is a matter of real concern. There must be, there must be, reflection and real change.”
The sanctions announced by the Foreign Office on Thursday target eight cyber military intelligence officers working for the GRU, who were responsible for cyber operations targeting Ms Skripal with the X-agent malware and the attempted murder of her and her father on UK soil five years later.
Three more GRU officers were sanctioned for plotting plots elsewhere in Europe, including plans for terrorist attacks on Ukrainian supermarkets.
Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement that the report’s findings were “a sobering reminder of the Kremlin’s disregard for innocent lives.”
“Dawn’s unnecessary death was a tragedy and will forever remain a reminder of Russia’s reckless aggression. My thoughts are with her family and loved ones,” he said.
The inquest heard the Skripals fell ill after eating lunch at a Zizzi branch in Salisbury on the afternoon of March 4, 2018. They showed symptoms consistent with nerve agent or organophosphate poisoning or opiate overdose.
Medics treated Mr Skripal with anti-opioid medication, but it had no effect. Referring to the medical care Sturgess received, Lord Hughes said there was no treatment that would “actually have saved her life”.
The inquest previously heard that 87 people were admitted to A&E after novichok was dropped into a Nina Ricci perfume bottle.
Russia has previously denied any involvement in the attack on the Skripals.
