United Kingdom begins investigation into woman’s death caused by Novichok nerve agent – ​​DW – 10/14/2024

A public inquest will begin on Monday into the death of a British woman who was unwittingly exposed to the nerve agent Novichok and is due to begin in Salisbury on Monday.

The 2018 incident plunged relations between the United Kingdom and Russia to new lows at the time.

The public hearing aims to provide answers to the victim’s family about how his death occurred. It is also likely to reveal some confidential government and security service evidence.

What do we know about the incident?

The intended target of the poison attack was former double agent Sergei Skripal, who resided in Salisbury in southwest England.

In March 2018, Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious on a bench in the city center. They survived after intensive treatment and are now living under protection.

Dawn Sturges – a 44-year-old mother of three – died in July 2018 after spraying herself with what she believed to be a perfume bottle discarded in a park that contained Novichok. The nerve agent was developed by Soviet scientists in the 1970s and 1980s.

British authorities believe that the agents responsible for the attack on Skripal threw him away

Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly referred to Skripal as a “scoundrel” and a “traitor” following the incident, but denied any official involvement.

Who are the suspects?

British authorities blame two Russian officers for the attack. They entered the country with false passports.

A third person is believed to be the mastermind behind the operation.

The three suspects are believed to be members of the Russian GRU intelligence unit.

Although an international arrest warrant was issued for the suspects, then-PM Theresa May warned that justice was unlikely.

“I hope that at the end (of the public inquiry) Dawn Sturgess’s family and friends will feel that the truth has been reached,” she told the BBC. But “closure for all affected people would only finally come with justice, and it is highly unlikely that such justice will happen.”

Russia denied responsibility for the attack and subsequent death, calling the public hearing a “circus.” The three accused men also denied any involvement.

The incident led to the largest East-West diplomatic expulsions since the Cold War. Relations between London and Moscow have only deteriorated since then, even more so after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

mk/zc (AFP, Reuters)