‘We’ve got her back now’: novichok victim’s family ready to lay her to rest

The family of Dawn Sturgess, who died in 2018 after being exposed to the nerve agent Novichok, are preparing to lay her to rest following the conclusion of an inquiry into her death. Sturgess was poisoned in Amesbury, Wiltshire, after spraying herself with Novichok stored in a discarded perfume bottle. The inquiry concluded that Vladimir Putin likely authorized the initial Novichok attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, which led to Sturgess's death. The inquiry chair, Lord Hughes, deemed Putin "morally responsible" for Sturgess's death. Sturgess's father expressed relief that his daughter was found blameless but voiced concerns that lessons haven't been learned to prevent similar tragedies. He also criticized the initial police characterization of his daughter and the lack of public health warnings about handling unknown objects.

The family of Dawn Sturgess, who died after being exposed to Novichok in 2018, has criticized the UK government for failing to learn lessons from her death. Sturgess was poisoned after spraying herself with nerve agent in Amesbury, Wiltshire, that was originally intended for Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy living in Salisbury, and his daughter. The family expressed concern that an inquiry into Sturgess's death did not provide recommendations on how to prevent similar tragedies. They believe there was inadequate risk assessment regarding Skripal's safety, which put the public at risk. The family also criticized Wiltshire police for initially mischaracterizing Sturgess as a drug user and called for better training for emergency responders and public health advice following such incidents.

A public inquiry in the UK has concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin bears "moral responsibility" for the 2018 death of Dawn Sturgess, who was unintentionally poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok in Salisbury. Sturgess was exposed after spraying herself with what she thought was perfume, which actually contained the deadly chemical. The Novichok was originally used in an assassination attempt against Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy, and his daughter Yulia, who both survived. The inquiry, led by Anthony Hughes, found Putin authorized the mission, and the UK government has responded by sanctioning the Russian intelligence agency (GRU). The Kremlin denies involvement in the incident.

A UK inquiry concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely authorized the 2018 Novichok poisoning attack in Salisbury, England, which resulted in the death of Dawn Sturgess. Sturgess died after unknowingly applying the nerve agent, which had been disguised as perfume and discarded by Russian military intelligence agents following their failed assassination attempt on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal. The inquiry's chair stated that the operation "must have been authorized at the highest level" and was intended as a display of Russian power. The report found a direct causal link between Sturgess's death and the actions of the Russian agents, their superiors, and Putin, holding them morally responsible. The Russian government has consistently denied any involvement in the attack.