UK Inquiry: Putin Likely Ordered 'Reckless' Novichok Attack on Ex-Spy

A UK public inquiry has concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably authorized the 2018 Novichok nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal. The report labels the poisoning a "reckless" act of state power. The attack endangered the public and led to the death of an innocent British woman. Dawn Sturgess died after coming into contact with a perfume bottle that police believe contained the discarded nerve agent. Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were found unconscious on a public bench in Salisbury, England, in March 2018. Investigators determined that attackers applied the military-grade Novichok poison to the front door handle of his home. The inquiry found that two agents of Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU, carried out the operation. It states the attack was almost certainly approved by the head of the GRU and, ultimately, by President Putin. The British government has long accused the Russian state of responsibility. Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the poisoning.