Putin Held Morally Responsible for Death of British Woman in Novichok poisoning Case
London – An independent investigation concluded today that Russian President Vladimir โPutin bears moral responsibility for the 2018 death of Dawn โSturges, a 44-year-old British woman whoโข was inadvertently exposed to the Novichok โขnerve agent โused in the attempted poisoning of formerโฃ Russian spy โฃSergei Skripalโ and his daughter,โข Yulia. The findings have prompted the UKโ to summon the Russian ambassador and impose new sanctions targeting โRussian military intelligence.
The incident, which occurred months after the Skripals were targeted in Salisbury, England, saw Sturges fall ill after coming into โcontact with โคNovichok โขcontained within a perfume bottle she โdiscovered. โฃHer โdeath marks the first confirmed โfatality directly linked to โขtheโ 2018 poisonings, โฃescalating the already fraught relationship between the UK and Russia. This investigation re-centers scrutiny on Russia’s actions โขon British soil and the devastating consequences of itsโข alleged use of chemical weapons.
The inquiry report affirmed the British government’s long-held belief that Russia’s deployment of a nerve agentโ on UK territory directly resulted in the death of a British citizen, โaccording to a statement released by โthe โฃForeign Office. The government has demanded Russiaโค end its “campaign of hostile โactivities” directed towards the UK and NATO allies.
In response, โLondon announcedโ sanctions โagainst all members of Russian military intelligence, alongside targeted sanctions against eight individuals identified as working within Russian military cyber intelligence. Additionally, three Russian military intelligence officers implicatedโ in orchestrating โขhostile activities in โฃUkraine were also sanctioned, Reuters reported.