Russian embassy blames UK authorities for Sturges' death

The UK is trying to hide behind anti-Russian fabrications its responsibility for the death of the Kingdom's subject Dawn Sturges in 2018. This was stated on Tuesday, December 10, in the press service of the Russian Embassy in London.

"If in 2018 the staging in Salisbury was used by London only as part of geopolitical games, now it is cynically used also to divert attention from the humanly important question, for the sake of answering which this investigation was allegedly launched - what happened to Dawn Sturges," RIA Novosti quoted the embassy's statement as saying.

It added that the diplomatic mission has the impression that the British authorities, realizing their responsibility, are trying to hide behind a veil of "anti-Russian fictions."

Earlier, on October 15, the UK revealed Skripal's written testimony in the poisoning case. According to this testimony, Skripal felt safe in the UK and did not want special measures. The testimony also states that Skripal does not know which organizations were responsible for ensuring his safety in the UK.

On October 2, Russian Ambassador to London Andrei Kelin told Izvestia that the British side is doing everything to hide the truth about the Salisbury incident.

Earlier, on June 21, The Guardian newspaper reported that Sergei and Yulia Skripali allegedly fear for their safety and therefore do not want to participate in the Salisbury poisoning investigation.

In September 2022, the Russian embassy in London asked the British foreign ministry to provide information about the Skripals' health. The first response to the request since 2018 on the situation did not arrive until March 2024, with no mention of Sergei Skripal.

British spy and ex-GRU officer Sergei Skripal, convicted in Russia of spying for Britain, and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in the British city of Salisbury on March 4, 2018. London claims they were exposed to a Novichok-class warfare agent allegedly developed in Russia. Moscow has been accused of involvement in the incident. Russia rejected all accusations against it, pointing to their lack of evidence.

The UK authorities accused Russian citizens Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, who were named as GRU agents, of the incident. The Russians were charged under four articles, including the attempted murder of the Skripals. Petrov and Boshirov themselves said they visited Salisbury as part of a tourist trip and were not familiar with the Skripals.

The incident with Dawn Sturges occurred in Amesbury shortly afterward, in July 2018. The woman and her companion Charles Rowley were hospitalized unconscious. Police said they were allegedly affected by the same substance as the Skripals. Sturges died in hospital and the man was discharged.