Britain imposes sanctions on Russia following investigation blaming Putin for fatal 2018 poison attack

The British government announced fresh sanctions against Russia on Thursday, following the conclusion of an investigation that held Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible for the fatal 2018 poisoning attack in England. The sanctions were introduced alongside the summoning of Russias top diplomat in London to address the ongoing hostile actions perpetrated by Russia against the U.K.

The sanctions specifically target the Russian GRU military intelligence agency, which the U.K. has long accused of being behind the attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal. Skripal, along with his daughter, was poisoned using the Novichok nerve agent. Though both were severely affected, it was Dawn Sturgess, an innocent bystander, who tragically lost her life in the incident.

The U.K. government described the GRU as acting on Putin's orders, with the objective of destabilizing Ukraine and causing disorder throughout Europe.

After Sturgesss death, an inquest was launched to investigate the cause. She had collapsed in Wiltshire, England, after applying what she believed was perfume, which was later identified as Novichoka deadly nerve agent left behind by the perpetrators of the attack. Sturgess and her partner, Charlie Rowley, both fell ill after encountering the poison, and Sturgess later died.

The inquest soon revealed that Sturgess's death could only be fully understood in the context of the earlier poisoning of Skripal in Salisbury, a nearby town. According to the final report released Thursday, there had been no other incidents of Novichok poisoning in the U.K. since the Salisbury attack.

Skripal, who had previously defected to the U.K. after being accused of spying for Britain, was found slumped on a bench with his daughter in Salisbury a few months prior to Sturgesss death. Both had been poisoned with Novichok, and it was determined that the bottle of poison found by Sturgess was the same one used in the attack on Skripal, likely placed on his door handle.

The report concluded that the bottle containing the nerve agent was discarded carelessly by GRU agents in a public or semi-public area. Sturgess later received it as a gift from her boyfriend, unaware of its deadly contents. After applying the substance, she tragically passed away.

Former U.K. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Hughes, who led the inquiry, concluded that the operation to poison Sergei Skripal had been authorized at the highest levelby President Putin himself. The inquirys final findings stated that everyone involved in the assassination attempt bore moral responsibility for Sturgesss death.

In the statement announcing the sanctions, the U.K. government emphasized that the GRU continues to engage in hybrid operations, including cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns, all with the intent of causing real-world harm. The British government also criticized the GRU for recruiting criminal proxies to carry out its operations.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer reaffirmed the countrys resolve to confront Putin's regime, asserting that the sanctions were a continuation of the U.K.'s commitment to European security and Ukraines defense. We will continue to squeeze Russia's finances and support Ukraine at the negotiation table, Starmer stated.

The British government reiterated its dedication to countering Russia's attempts to undermine democratic societies and promised to work closely with international allies to safeguard stability.

Author: Riley Thompson