UK Hits Russia with Sweeping Sanctions After Inquiry Confirms Putin Personally Ordered 2018 Novichok Attack
London, 4 December 2025 – In a dramatic escalation, the United Kingdom has imposed the toughest sanctions yet on Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, after a long-awaited public inquiry concluded that President Vladimir Putin personally authorised the 2018 Novichok poisoning in Salisbury that killed British citizen Dawn Sturgess and nearly claimed the lives of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack as “reckless aggression” and a direct assault on British soil:
“Dawn’s needless death was a tragedy and will forever be a reminder of Russia’s murderous machine. The UK will always stand up to Putin’s brutal regime.”
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper added:
“Putin and his GRU agents are an active threat to Britain’s citizens, our security, and our prosperity. We will not tolerate this brazen and despicable aggression.”
Key Findings of the Inquiry (Lord Anthony Hughes Report)
- Vladimir Putin personally approved the operation to assassinate Sergei Skripal using the military-grade nerve agent Novichok — developed and stockpiled in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
- The GRU carried out the attack, deliberately risking innocent British lives.
- Dawn Sturgess died after accidentally spraying herself with Novichok from a discarded perfume bottle containing the poison — the first and only civilian fatality from a state-sponsored chemical weapon attack on NATO soil.
Today’s Sanctions – The Strongest Yet Against Russian Intelligence
The UK has now sanctioned the entire GRU as an organisation — a historic first — along with 11 named GRU officers involved in:
- The Salisbury attack
- Cyber operations that deployed X-Agent malware against Yulia Skripal
- Plotting terror attacks on Ukrainian supermarkets in Europe
- Hybrid warfare across the continent, including arson, sabotage, and disinformation
Three additional GRU officers linked to hostile activities in Ukraine and Europe have also been targeted.
Timeline of the 2018 Attack
- 4 March 2018: Sergei and Yulia Skripal found unconscious on a Salisbury bench after being poisoned with Novichok smeared on their front door.
- Police officer Nick Bailey critically ill after searching their home.
- 8 July 2018: Dawn Sturgess dies in nearby Amesbury after spraying herself with Novichok from a fake perfume bottle discarded by the GRU assassins.
- Her partner Charlie Rowley left seriously ill.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated:
“The use of Novichok in Salisbury was an attack not just on individuals, but on our country and our values. It showed the complete disregard the Russian state has for human life and international law.”
Wider Crackdown on Russian Malign Activity
The Foreign Office summoned Russian Ambassador Andrey Kelin to answer for Moscow’s “ongoing campaign of hostile activity” in the UK, which includes:
- Cyber-attacks
- Recruitment of criminal proxies
- Disinformation and sabotage operations
The government vowed to “crush hostile Russian hybrid activity” and work with allies to counter GRU operations worldwide.
Today’s measures are the latest in a series of actions to squeeze Russia’s war machine and bolster Ukraine as peace talks continue.
The Salisbury poisonings remain one of the gravest state-sponsored attacks on British soil since the Cold War — and seven years on, the UK has made clear: Russia will face consequences.
