UK Inquiry: Putin Bears Moral Responsibility for 2018 Novichok Death

A British inquiry has concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "morally responsible" for the death of Dawn Sturgess in 2018. Sturgess, a UK citizen, died after coming into contact with a military-grade nerve agent. The incident was part of a failed Russian operation to assassinate a former double agent in England. A report published on Thursday condemned the mission as "astonishingly reckless." The report states that Russian operatives deployed Novichok, a toxic chemical weapon, in the city of Salisbury. Sturgess later accidentally found the perfume bottle used to transport the agent. She was exposed to the substance in Amesbury, a town near Salisbury. The inquiry found that the Russian state’s actions directly led to her death. The findings assign clear blame to the Russian state. They conclude that the operation was approved at senior levels within Russia's government.