Britain on Thursday imposed sanctions on Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, after an official report linked it to the death of a British national poisoned with Novichok seven years ago.
The government also summoned the Russian ambassador, citing what it called “Russia’s ongoing campaign of hostile activity” against the UK.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova rejected the measures, telling TASS the sanctions were “illegitimate” and imposed under “far‑fetched pretexts,” adding Moscow reserved the right to retaliate.
The report concluded that the death of 44‑year‑old Dawn Sturgess in Amesbury in June 2018 was caused by Novichok from the same batch used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in nearby Salisbury three months earlier. Sturgess’s partner survived, as did the Skripals.
Officials said the bottle that killed Sturgess was likely discarded by the Skripals’ alleged poisoners, identified as GRU members. Britain said the nerve agent was developed and held by Russia in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Moscow has consistently denied involvement in the poisonings, calling the accusations groundless.