Seven years have passed since a quiet Sunday in the Wiltshire city of Salisbury was shattered by an assassination attempt that would spark an international crisis. On March 4, 2018, former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a public bench, victims of a nerve agent poisoning.
The Attack and Its Immediate Aftermath
Authorities determined that the military-grade nerve agent Novichok had been smeared on the front door of the Skripals' home on Christie Miller Road. Both were rushed to hospital and placed in induced comas, fighting for their lives. The incident had immediate collateral damage: police officer Nick Bailey fell gravely ill while investigating the scene.
In a tragic twist months later, the poison claimed the life of an innocent bystander. In July 2018, Dawn Sturgess, 44, died after spraying herself with a discarded perfume bottle containing Novichok, which she had found in a park in Amesbury. Her partner, Charlie Rowley, was also seriously injured but survived.
A Life in Shadows: The Skripals' Disappearance
Following their treatment, the Skripals vanished from public view. Yulia was discharged from hospital on April 9, 2018, and her father on May 18. A week later, a statement from Yulia was released, describing a "slow and extremely painful" recovery and the "devastating" impact on their lives. She expressed a hope to one day return to her country but pleaded for privacy.
It is widely reported that the pair spent approximately two years in a secure MI6 safe house before being relocated overseas under new identities. Speculation has consistently pointed to New Zealand or Australia as their likely new home. Sergei Skripal would now be 74, and Yulia 41.
The extreme secrecy is deemed necessary. The judge leading the inquiry into Dawn Sturgess's death, Lord Hughes of Ombersley, stated there was an "overwhelming risk" of a physical attack on the Skripals if their whereabouts were discovered. Consequently, they did not give evidence to the inquiry, despite calls from Dawn's family.
Diplomatic Fallout and Lingering Questions
The poisoning ignited a fierce diplomatic row between the UK and Russia. British security services accused the Russian state, pointing the finger at President Vladimir Putin, allegations Moscow has always denied. Two suspected GRU operatives, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, were identified but claimed they were merely tourists visiting Salisbury Cathedral.
Back in Salisbury, the Skripals' former home underwent an extensive military decontamination. The house was declared safe in September 2019 and later sold by Sergei to Wiltshire Council for £260,000. It has since been refurbished and reoccupied through a shared ownership scheme, a move local officials hoped would close a difficult chapter for the community.
For the families left behind, the absence is palpable. Yulia's aunt, Natalia Pestsova, revealed she has seen no direct communication, though Yulia had viewed family profiles on social media. "I just feel they're alive, somewhere, somehow," she said, acknowledging they were unlikely to ever meet again. A Christmas card sent to neighbours in 2019 offered a faint, final echo of their previous life.
As a new report examines the death of Dawn Sturgess, seeking answers on blame and lessons to be learned, the central figures of the drama, Sergei and Yulia Skripal, remain protected ghosts—a permanent testament to an attack that poisoned a city, claimed an innocent life, and forever altered the landscape of UK-Russia relations.
