According to a public inquiry in the UK, the assassination attempt on the former Russian spy was sanctioned by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who bears "moral responsibility" for the death of a woman poisoned by the nerve agent used in the attack. This is reported by UNN with reference to News Sky.
Details
According to the investigation, in March 2018, three GRU agents, Alexander Petrov, Ruslan Boshirov, and Sergey Fedotov, brought a bottle of Nina Ricci perfume filled with "Novichok" to the UK. It was used to apply the nerve agent to the doorknob of the house of Sergey Skripal, who was an officer of the Russian military intelligence GRU before arriving in the UK in 2010 as a result of a prisoner exchange after being convicted of spying for the UK.
Skripal, his daughter Yulia, and police officer Nick Bailey were severely poisoned but survived. A few months later, 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess accidentally sprayed herself with the same substance in nearby Amesbury – the bottle was brought to her by her partner Charlie Rowley. As a result, the woman died on July 8, 2018.
"They may not have considered the danger of death or serious injury to countless innocent people created in this way," the report says.
Lord Hughes, who led the inquiry, stated that the three GRU agents "acted on instructions."
"I have concluded that the operation to assassinate Sergei Skripal must have been authorized at the highest level, by President Putin," Lord Hughes said.
And he added: "Therefore, I conclude that those involved in the assassination attempt (not only Petrov, Boshirov, and Fedotov, but also those who sent them, and anyone else who authorized or knew about the assistance in Russia or elsewhere) bore moral responsibility for the death of Dawn Sturgess."
The UK government announced the full application of sanctions against the GRU, and the Russian ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office after the report was released. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the event "a stark reminder of the Kremlin's contempt for innocent lives" and stated: "The UK will always stand up to Putin's brutal regime and expose his murderous machine for what it is."
Russia continues to deny any involvement, but investigators called the evidence "compelling" and indicative of a deliberate action by the Russian state.
Recall
Former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, who was poisoned in Salisbury, UK, this spring, worked for the intelligence services of four NATO countries until 2017.
New details of the "Novichok" poisoning were revealed at the inquest into the death of Dawn Sturgess. It turned out that a boy who had contact with Skripal on the day of the poisoning also felt unwell for several days.
The British government stated that the GRU is fully subject to sanctions for "reckless" actions, including the attack in Salisbury targeting Sergei Skripal, a former GRU officer who was imprisoned in Russia in 2006 for spying for the UK. He was released as part of a spy exchange in 2010 and settled in the UK.