British Defense Minister Links Russian Government to Death of British Citizen from Nerve Agent

One day after it was announced that one of the two British citizens poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok had died in the hospital, the British Defense Minister accused the Russian government of being involved in this case. A British couple was exposed to Novichok, a military-grade poison, about 10 days ago in Amesbury, in the southwest of the country, and on Sunday evening, July 17, it was reported that 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess, a mother of three, had died in the hospital. The condition of Charlie Rowley, Ms. Sturgess's partner, is also reported to be critical. Gavin Williamson, the British Defense Minister, told parliament on Monday: "The plain truth is that Russia has committed an attack on British soil that resulted in the death of a British citizen." Mr. Williamson called on countries around the world to unite with Britain in condemning this act. Earlier, police had confirmed that the two individuals had been exposed to the nerve agent Novichok; the same poison that was used in the assassination attempt on Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy, and his daughter Yulia. The British police announced the start of a criminal investigation into this case, and officials described the news of Ms. Sturgess's death as "shocking." Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, tweeted that this incident was "shocking and horrifying" for her. The Prime Minister also emphasized that police and security officials are conducting urgent investigations to ascertain the truth of this event. Neil Basu, head of Britain's counter-terrorism forces, also called the news of Dawn Sturgess's death "shocking and tragic" and stated: "This tragic news has doubled our resolve to identify and bring the perpetrator or perpetrators of this incident to justice." According to British police, Ms. Sturgess and her partner were exposed to an object contaminated with Novichok. Amesbury, where the couple lived, is only 11 kilometers from the site of the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy and current British citizen, was poisoned in March along with his daughter with the same substance. After that incident, Britain accused Russia of being involved in the assassination attempt, but Moscow denied any involvement in this poisoning. In the latest case, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Kremlin, called the accusation of Russian involvement in the death of the British citizen "ridiculous" and stated before the British Defense Minister's remarks: "We do not know whether Russia has been mentioned or linked in this matter. But in any case, we find it ridiculous." However, Mr. Peskov expressed regret over the death of a British citizen. The poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in March led to a diplomatic crisis in relations between Britain and Russia. The nerve agent "Novichok" was developed in the years leading up to the end of the Cold War in the former Soviet Union, and Britain has claimed that Russia has continued to produce it over the past decade. Moscow, denying this accusation, claims that the substance used in the poisoning of Mr. Skripal and his daughter was produced in another country.