UK begins inquiry into woman's death by Novichok nerve agent

A public inquiry will begin on Monday in Salisbury into the death of a British woman who was unwittingly exposed to Novichok nerve agent.

The 2018 incident plunged relations between the UK and Russia to new lows at the time.

The public hearing aims to provide the victim's family with answers on how her death came about. It is also likely to reveal some confidential evidence from the government and the security services.

What do we know about the incident?

The intended target of the poison attack was former double agent Sergei Skripal, who was residing in Salisbury of southwest England.

In March 2018, Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious on a bench in the city center. They survived after intensive treatment and now live under protection.

Dawn Sturgess — a 44-year-old mother of three — died in July 2018 after spraying herself with what she believed was a perfume bottle discarded in a park which contained Novichok. The nerve agent was developed by Soviet scientists in the 1970s and 1980s.

British authorities believe that agents responsible for the attack on Skripal had thrown it away

Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly referred to Skripal as a "scumbag" and a "traitor" in the wake of the incident, but denied any official involvement.

Who are the suspects?

British authorities blame two Russian officers for the attack. They had entered the country with false passports.

A third person is believed to be the operation's mastermind. 

All three suspects are believed to be members of the Russian intelligence unit GRU. 

While an international arrest warrant has been issued for the suspects, then-PM Theresa May had warned that justice was unlikely.

"I would hope by the end of it (the public inquiry) the family and friends of Dawn Sturgess feel it has got to the truth," she told the BBC. But "closure to all the people affected would only finally come with justice, and that justice is highly unlikely to happen." 

Russia has denied responsibility for the attack and the subsequent death, calling the public hearing a "circus.” The three men accused have also denied any involvement. 

The incident led to the biggest East-West diplomatic expulsions since the Cold War. Relations between London and Moscow have only deteriorated since, more so after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

mk/zc (AFP, Reuters)