U.K. โคImposesโค Sanctions on Russia Following report Linking Putin โฃto Novichok โคPoisoning Deaths
LONDON – The United Kingdom announced new sanctions against Russia on Thursday, following the release of โคa โreport concluding that President Vladimir โPutin โauthorized the 2018 nerveโฃ agent attack on former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. The inquiry also resolute the attackโข directlyโค led to the death of dawn Sturgess, a British woman who unknowingly came into contact with the Novichok.
The report, led by formerโ U.K. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Hughes, found the operation to assassinate Skripal “must โฃhave been authorized at the highest level, by president Putin.” Hughesโฃ further statedโข that all those involved โคin the assassination attempt were “morally responsible” for โขSturgess’ death.
Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious on โa benchโข in Salisbury in March 2018,having been poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok.The inquiry revealed the poison was applied to Skripal’s front doorโ handle and brought to the U.K.by russian GRU agents. These agents “recklessly discarded” โขthe perfume bottle used to deliver the โNovichok in a public area after the attack.
Sturgess died in july 2018 after her boyfriend foundโ the bottle and gifted it to her, believing it contained perfume. She applied the substance and later became ill. “There had been no othre known instance ofโ Novichok poisoning in the U.K., nor has there been any since,” the inquest’s final report stated.
The U.K. government’s statement announcing the sanctionsโข highlighted theโค GRU’s alleged involvement in “hybrid operations,” including cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns, and the recruitmentโ of criminal proxies.โฃ
“The U.K.โ will alwaysโ stand up to Putin’s โbrutal regime andโค call out his murderous machine for what it is,” said โคU.K. Primeโ Minister Keir Starmer. “Today’s sanctions are the latest step in our unwavering defense of European security,as we continue to squeeze Russia’s finances and strengthen Ukraine’s position at the negotiating โฃtable.”
The U.K. willโฃ continueโ to collaborate with allies toโ “counter Russia’s attempts to destabilize our societies,” according to the government statement.
