Salisbury: Novichok, the OPCW and the Sturgess Inquiry
Verified: Documented in primary records or confirmed by reputable inquiry/reporting.
On 4 March 2018 Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in Salisbury with a nerve agent. The OPCW’s technical assistance visit confirmed the UK’s findings on the identity of the toxic chemical, and the UK Foreign Secretary called it “a Novichok”. In December 2025 the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry chair, Lord Hughes, found the operation “must have been authorised at the highest level, by President Putin”.
Documented
The OPCW summary (12 April 2018) says its results confirm the UK’s findings on identity and that the chemical was of high purity; the name appears only in the classified full report. GOV.UK says four laboratories reached the same results. The UK sanctioned the GRU after the Inquiry.
Claimed, disputed or not established
Russia rejects the findings. The Inquiry’s attribution to the Russian state is a judicial finding, not the result of a criminal trial of the individuals concerned.
Sources (opened in a new tab)
- OPCW: Summary of the TAV report S/1612/2018 (PDF) ↗https://www.opcw.org/sites/default/files/documents/S%5Fseries/2018/en/s-1612-2018%5Fe%5F.pdf
- GOV.UK: Foreign Secretary statement on OPCW report ↗https://www.gov.uk/government/news/salisbury-incident-foreign-secretary-statement-on-opcw-report
- BBC: Sturgess Inquiry findings (4 Dec 2025) ↗https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgkr0wj5e8o
Connected
- Section: Russia and the USSR, also United Kingdom
- Agencies: GRU
- Vault documents: OPCW Technical Secretariat: summary of the Salisbury technical assistance visit (S/1612/2018) ↗
- Case board · Timeline (2025) · Document vault