Russian President Vladimir Putin bears moral responsibility for the death of a British citizen who was a collateral victim of the poisoning with the nerve agent "Novichok" of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. This is the conclusion of an independent investigation announced today, world agencies reported, quoted by BTA.
Dawn Sturges, who was 44 years old, was accidentally affected by the action of "Novichok" in 2018, a few months after the attempted poisoning of Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England. The woman was poisoned with the substance through a perfume bottle that she accidentally found in Salisbury.
In connection with the conclusions of the investigation, the British Foreign Office announced that it had summoned the Russian ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, for explanations.
"The investigation report confirmed what the British government has long believed, namely that Russia's irresponsible use of a nerve agent on British soil caused the death of a British citizen“, the British Foreign Office said in a statement.
It demands that Russia cease its campaign of hostile activities against the United Kingdom and NATO.
The ministry also announced that London is imposing sanctions on the entire Russian military intelligence. Sanctions have also been imposed on eight representatives of Russian military cyber intelligence who worked for Russian military intelligence. Three Russian military intelligence officers responsible for organizing hostile activity in Ukraine have also been sanctioned, it explained Reuters.
The attack on the Skripals and the death of Dawn Sturges sparked a diplomatic crisis between London and Moscow seven years ago and led to the mutual expulsion of diplomats, an unprecedented event since the end of the Cold War. Moscow has always denied any involvement in the poisoning of the Skripals and the subsequent death of Sturges, commented Agence France-Presse.
“Dawn Sturges is the innocent victim of an attempted murder carried out by agents of a Russian state organization operating on the streets of Salisbury“, concluded today Anthony Hughes, chairman of the independent commission of inquiry, which presented the conclusions of its investigation today.
“The poisonings in Salisbury shocked the nation. The findings of today's inquest are a stark reminder of the Kremlin's disregard for the lives of innocent people. Dawn's senseless death is "a tragedy," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said today.
The conduct of Russian military intelligence agents, their superiors and those who authorised the mission, including President Putin, is incredibly irresponsible," Anthony Hughes, a former judge, said today.
"There is a direct link between the actions of these people and the death of Dawn Sturges. They involve moral responsibility for what happened," he stressed.
On March 4, 2018, Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury. They were admitted to hospital in a serious condition. Four months later, Dawn Sturges used a bottle of a substance she thought was perfume. The bottle was found by her boyfriend in a bin in Amesbury, about 15 kilometres from Salisbury. He gave it to her The woman then died.
The Russian agents involved in the Skripals attack carelessly threw the bottle in a public place before leaving Salisbury. They failed to take into account the risk of death or serious injury to a number of innocent people, Judge Hughes said today.
Three Russian intelligence agents have been charged in a British investigation into the death of Dawn Sturges and arrest warrants have been issued for them.
The report today also reports on the authorities' shortcomings in the security measures around Skripal. The document also states that the British authorities underestimated the risk of murder hanging over him and his daughter at the time. According to Hughes, the Skripals should have been hidden under another identity and thus the attack would have been avoided.
For security reasons, the Skripals, who now live under police protection in secret location, did not appear at public hearings during the investigation. But the former double agent also directly accused Putin in a written statement.
Dawn's relatives said the investigation showed she was a completely innocent victim. But the woman's relatives say the report made no recommendations to avoid such a drama in the future.