The Russian intelligence operatives responsible for the Salisbury Novichok attack transported the deadly nerve agent through the heart of London, an official inquiry has established. The detailed movements of the assassins, who travelled under the aliases Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, have been laid bare, tracing their path from a Moscow airport to a budget hotel in East London and on to their target in Wiltshire.
The Deadly Journey from Moscow to London
Evidence presented to the Dawn Sturgess inquiry, chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Lord Hughes of Ombersley, detailed the agents' arrival in the UK. On March 2, 2018, Petrov and Boshirov flew from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport to London Gatwick. Just hours after landing, they checked into the City Stay Hotel in Bow, East London, carrying with them the Novichok toxin concealed inside a counterfeit perfume bottle.
Authorities later discovered traces of the military-grade nerve agent inside the hotel room the pair occupied. The room was not declared safe until two months later, on May 4, 2018, prompting a public health alert for anyone who had stayed at the hotel during that period to come forward for reassurance testing.
Through the Capital to Salisbury
Documents released by the inquiry show the men continued their mission the following day. Still in possession of the Novichok, they travelled to Waterloo Station, one of Britain's busiest transport hubs, which sees between 250,000 and 350,000 passengers daily. From there, they journeyed onwards to Salisbury.
In Salisbury, the operatives smeared the substance from the perfume bottle onto the door handle of the home of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. Lord Hughes stated the men, now publicly identified as GRU officers Alexander Mishkin and Anatoliy Chepiga, were fully aware their actions could cause widespread harm.
Reckless Disposal and a Tragic Death
"They must have been aware that others might also touch the door handle," Lord Hughes said, highlighting the risk to neighbours, visitors, and delivery personnel. He condemned their subsequent actions, stating: "Before leaving Salisbury they recklessly discarded this bottle in some public or semi-public place. They can have had no regard to the hazard thus created."
This reckless disposal led directly to the death of Dawn Sturgess on July 8, 2018. Her partner, Charlie Rowley, found the discarded perfume bottle in a charity collection bin and gifted it to her, unaware it was the poison container used in the attempted assassination of the Skripals. Detectives located CCTV footage appearing to show Mr Rowley searching through bins in Salisbury on the day he and Ms Sturgess fell ill.
The inquiry concluded that the agents' actions demonstrated a callous disregard for public safety, endangering an "uncountable" number of innocent people in their bid to target Sergei Skripal.
