UK Sanctions Russia After Inquiry Holds Putin Responsible for 2018 Novichock Poisonings

Moscow’s GRU military intelligence agency was sanctioned for its role in the death of a woman who unwittingly exposed herself to the nerve agent.

Novichok poisoning suspects Ruslan Boshirov (L) and Alexander Petrov in Salisbury, England, on Mar. 4, 2018. Metropolitan Police

The UK issued new sanctions on Russia on Dec. 4, after a public inquiry into the death of a woman poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok in the UK in 2018 held Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible for her demise.

London also summoned the Kremlin’s ambassador for a response to the inquiry’s findings and over what it called an “ongoing campaign of hostile activity” against the UK.