Overview
- The Dawn Sturgess inquiry concluded the Skripal operation was a GRU mission that must have been authorised by President Vladimir Putin, who bears moral responsibility for Sturgess’s death.
- Alexander Petrov, Ruslan Boshirov and Sergey Fedotov were identified as acting on instructions with the intention of killing Sergei Skripal, and their televised claim of being tourists was deemed not credible.
- CCTV, mobile data and Novichok traces in a London hotel room tied the operatives to the operation, yet 16‑ and 33‑minute breaks in coverage left key continuity gaps.
- Dawn Sturgess died after applying Novichok from a discarded fake perfume bottle that police believe Charlie Rowley likely recovered, with the dose described by the chair as unsurvivable.
- The UK sanctioned the GRU following the findings, while officials say the suspects are unlikely to face justice without extradition as Russia continues to deny involvement.