Overview
- Inquiry chair Lord Hughes concluded the 2018 assassination attempt on Sergei Skripal was carried out by GRU operatives using aliases Alexander Petrov, Ruslan Boshirov and Sergey Fedotov under instruction.
- The report states the operation “must have been authorised at the highest level” by President Vladimir Putin and that those involved bear moral responsibility for Sturgess’s death.
- Novichok was brought to Salisbury in a perfume bottle, applied to Skripal’s door handle, then discarded; Sturgess later sprayed the agent on herself, and her condition was deemed unsurvivable.
- The UK sanctioned the GRU in its entirety, designated 11 actors linked to hostile activity including eight cyber officers, and summoned Russia’s ambassador.
- The inquiry noted failings in regular, written risk assessments for Skripal but found the attack would not have been prevented by additional measures; Russia rejects the findings, and no one has been charged over Sturgess’s murder.