Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Vladimir Putin Ordered an “astonishingly careless” assassination attempt. sergei skripal’s As a “public display of Russian power”, a major investigation of Salisbury Novichok poisoning Have concluded.
The investigation blamed the Russian President for the attack and said he was “morally responsible” for the deaths. Don SturgessAn innocent bystander who died from exposure to a chemical weapon after it was released Perfume bottle thrown in Amesbury, Wiltshire, in July 2018.
His death came four months after the assassination attempt on Mr. Skripal, a former spy, his daughter, Yulia, and Nick Bailey, a police officer, who were harmed by members of a Russian group. GRU Military intelligence put nerve agent on Mr. Skripal’s door handle.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Hughes, who reviewed Sturges’ death, found that the attempted assassination of Mr. Skripal “must have been authorized at the highest level by President Putin”, and that GRU agents “were acting on instructions” when they carried out the attack.
He said: “It is clear that this attack showed considerable determination and was expected to stand as a public display of Russian power.”
Following the release of the report, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warned that Putin and his agents represent “an active threat to British citizens, our security and our prosperity”.
In a statement, he said: “We will not tolerate this brazen and despicable aggression on British soil. That is why we are exposing and sanctioning those who carried out deadly acts aimed at Moscow, and intensifying efforts to crush hostile Russian hybrid activity.”
The GRU has now been fully sanctioned by the UK Government – with action also taken against 11 individuals linked to state-sponsored hostile activity – while the Russian ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office.
The report’s publication comes as hopes for a US-brokered peace deal in Ukraine, which was illegally invaded four years after the Novichok attacks, have dimmed.
Former Prime Minister Theresa May said the report showed Britain was “under constant threat from Russian espionage”, adding that the government “must stand firm in the face of Russian aggression”.
She said: “I always believed the attack would continue sergey skripal And his daughter was part of Russia’s more aggressive position that would have consequences down the road. Four years later, Putin invaded Ukraine, and we are under constant threat from Russian espionage.
“The Russians released a chemical weapon on the streets of Britain, recklessly endangering life and killing Don Sturgess. The Don Sturgess Inquiry report shows it is vital we stand firm in the face of Russian aggression.”
The report concluded that the attempt to assassinate Mr Skripal was “not simply a matter of revenge against him, but a public statement … that Russia will act decisively in accordance with its interests”.
It was also argued that the Kremlin would have accepted that Russia would be held responsible for the “shockingly reckless” attack.
“Despite the fact that the attack was a significant geopolitical risk, a public display of Russian state power for both international and domestic influence is, I conclude, the most probable analysis of what happened,” the report said.
Lord Hughes’ investigation, which cost £8.3 million, avoided major criticism of the British state for its handling of Mr Skripal, arguing that it would not be appropriate to provide him with an entirely new identity to prevent an attack on him.
While the barrister for Sturges’ family, Michael Mansfield Casey, suggested that the security service should have created an entirely new identity to protect Mr Skripal from attack, the investigation concluded that this would only be justified “if the risk of his assassination on UK soil was at a high level, and it was not”.
But Sturgess’s family expressed “genuine concern” at the lack of recommendations in the report, saying it left them with “many unanswered questions”.
In a statement, he said: “Today’s report does not publicly explain how the risks that led to Don’s death will be prevented in the future. An adequate risk assessment of the Skripals was not conducted, [and] No protective measures were taken. “This is a serious concern for us now and in the future.”
He added: “Today’s report gives us some answers, but also leaves many unanswered questions. We always want to ensure that what happened to Don does not happen to others; lessons must be learned; and meaningful changes must be made.
“There are no recommendations in today’s report. This is a matter of real concern. There must be reflection and real change.”
The sanctions announced by the Foreign Office on Thursday target eight cyber military intelligence officers working for the GRU, who were responsible for the cyber operation that targeted Ms Skripal with the X-Agent malware and, five years later, for the attempted assassination of her and her father on UK soil.
Three more GRU officers were sanctioned for plots elsewhere in Europe, including planning a terrorist attack on a Ukrainian supermarket.
In a statement, Sir Keir Starmer said the report’s findings were a “grim reminder of the Kremlin’s disregard for innocent life”.
He said, “Don’s needless death was a tragedy and will forever be a reminder of Russia’s reckless aggression. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”
The inquest heard that Skripal fell ill after eating lunch at a branch of Zizi in Salisbury on the afternoon of 4 March 2018. They were showing symptoms consistent with either nerve agent or organophosphate poisoning or opiate overdose.
Paramedics treated Mr Skripal with an anti-opioid drug, which had no effect. Addressing the medical care Sturgess received, Lord Hughes said there was no treatment that “could actually have saved his life”.
The inquest previously heard that 87 people were admitted to A&E after Novichok was released in a Nina Ricci perfume bottle.
Russia has previously denied any involvement in the attack on the Skripals.