By Michael Holden
SALISBURY, England (Reuters) -Former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal believes Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his Novichok poisoning, he told an inquiry held on Monday into the death of a woman who was unwittingly poisoned by the nerve agent.
Skripal, who sold Russian secrets to Britain, and his daughter Yulia were found slumped unconscious on a public bench in the southern English city of Salisbury in March 2018 after Novichok was smeared on the front door handle of his home.
Four months later, Dawn Sturgess died from exposure to the poison after her partner found a counterfeit perfume bottle which police believe had been used by Russian intelligence operatives to smuggle the poison into the country.
The Skripals, and a police officer who went to Skripal’s house, were left critically ill from the effects of the military-grade nerve agent, but recovered, as did Sturgess’s partner Charlie Rowley. Russia has repeatedly rejected British accusations that it was involved.
Skripal has not spoken publicly since the attack, but an inquiry into Sturgess’s death heard a statement from him saying that he, like the British government, blamed Putin, although the former spy said he had no concrete evidence for his accusation.
“I believe Putin makes all important decisions himself. I therefore think he must have at least given permission for the attack on Yulia and me,” Skripal said in the statement read out by Andrew O’Connor, the lawyer to the public inquiry.
In his statement, Skripal, who disclosed he had no warning his life was in danger at the time, said he was aware of allegations that Putin, who he said he knew personally, had been involved in illegal activity to do with the disposal of rare metals.
“I have read that Putin is personal very interested in poison and likes reading books about it,” his statement said.
British police have charged in absentia three Russians, who they say are GRU military intelligence officers, over the attempted murder of Skripal and his daughter, although no formal case has been brought against them over the death of Sturgess.
Two of the Russians accused by Britain of carrying out the poisoning later appeared on Russian TV to deny involvement, saying they had been innocent tourists visiting the city’s cathedral. All three have denied any involvement.
CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE
Earlier, the inquiry, which began on Monday, was told that Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother of three, was caught in the “crossfire” of an international assassination attempt.
Evidence suggested the perfume bottle had contained enough poison to kill thousands, O’Connor said.
“You may conclude … that those who discarded the bottle in this way acted with a grotesque disregard for human life,” he told the inquiry chair, former Supreme Court judge Anthony Hughes.
The inquiry, which follows a police investigation and lengthy legal steps that are required beforehand, is having its initial hearings in Salisbury.
It will hear some confidential evidence in secret from the UK security services, including details of Skripal’s relationship with British intelligence agencies, O’Connor said.
Last month, Hughes ruled that the Skripals would not give evidence in person themselves, saying there was an “overwhelming risk” they still faced physical attack if they could be identified and their current whereabouts revealed.
The incident led to the biggest East-West diplomatic expulsions since the Cold War, and relations between London and Moscow have since deteriorated further following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian embassy in London said last week the British foreign ministry’s “references to the alleged use of the mythical Novichok are quite preposterous”.
O’Connor said the inquiry would take full account of the Russian response to the British accusations, saying questions around possible Russian State responsibility were “of the utmost public concern”.
“It needs to be said that the object of this inquiry is to start with a clean sheet, without making any assumptions about the accuracy of what has been said before, whether by public figures or otherwise,” Hughes said.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
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