The criminal case against two men accused of the novichok poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury has begun in the UK. The two suspects, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, are both believed to be military intelligence officers for Russia’s GRU agency. They are charged with the attempted murder of the Skripals, as well as several police officers exposed to the nerve agent during the initial response. Petrov and Boshirov will not be extradited to the UK to stand trial.
In September, Prime Minister Theresa May formally accused Russia’s military intelligence service of being behind the Salisbury attack and said the suspects were thought to be officers from the GRU. The following day, the names and photographs of Petrov and Boshirov were released by the UK government. Russia denied all involvement. During the inquiry, it was revealed that a boy fell ill after coming into contact with Skripal the day he and his daughter were poisoned with novichok. They were eventually tested, but no trace of the chemical weapon was found.
After opening in Salisbury’s Guildhall earlier this month, the inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess has now resumed in London. Ms Sturgess died after being exposed to novichok in Amesbury, Wiltshire, in July 2018. She sprayed herself with a “significant amount” of the nerve agent, which was hidden in a perfume bottle that had been found in a charity collection bin by her partner Charlie Rowley. The inquiry is in the process of hearing evidence about links between her death and the attempted murder of Skripal and his daughter in March 2018. The UK security services blamed Russia for the attack
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