Sergei Skripal, a former Russian double agent, along with his daughter Yulia, who both survived a nerve agent poisoning in 2018, are not going to testify at an inquiry into the death of a British woman. A UK judge made this decision last week to ensure their safety from possible further attacks.

According to the lead judge Anthony Hughes, Lord of Ombersley, the Skripals face an “overwhelming risk” of a “physical attack” if they participate in the investigation regarding Dawn Sturgess’ death.

The judge stated, “There is ample evidence to believe that an incident similar to the 2018 attack remains a genuine threat, whether carried out by individuals related to the original attackers or others who share their objectives, especially if Sergei or Yulia can be tracked down and identified,” as he ruled on September 23.

Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother of three, passed away three months after the Skripals were discovered unconscious on a park bench.

Her partner had given her a perfume bottle found in the trash, which was thought to contain the nerve agent used in the attack.

Authorities in the UK later charged two alleged Russian agents with conspiring to murder the Skripals.

Sturgess’ family requested the Skripals’ testimony, believing they were also victims of Novichok, the nerve agent that resulted in Sturgess’ death in July 2018.

However, the Skripals chose not to testify due to concerns for their “physical safety.”

Hughes agreed with their request, stating that if the Skripals were seen or heard, they might be identified through social media, heightening the risk of an attack, which he deemed “unmanageable.”

Background of Sergei and Yulia Skripal

Sergei Skripal, 73, was a colonel in Russia’s Military Intelligence Service before being convicted in 2006 for being a double agent who shared the identities of other Russian operatives with MI6.

Russian authorities claim he earned $100,000 over ten years for providing MI6 with names, addresses, and other classified information about undercover Russian agents in Europe.

In 2010, he was released from Russian prison in a swap for ten agents held in the United States. Yulia moved from Russia to London that year but later returned to Moscow.

The Skripals were found unconscious in a park in Salisbury, approximately 90 miles from London, in March 2018. The Kremlin denied any involvement in the poisoning, but the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany asserted that there was “no plausible alternative explanation” except for Russia’s responsibility.

After the incident, the Skripals spent months in the hospital recuperating.

The U.K. subsequently charged two Russian nationals, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, in absentia with conspiracy to murder and other related charges for their purported role in the Skripals’ poisoning. These two suspects returned to Russia shortly after the Skripals were found and have not been apprehended. A third suspect was charged for alleged involvement three years later, according to reports.

In response to the attack, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia, and the U.K. expelled several Russian diplomats.

Circumstances Surrounding Dawn Sturgess’ Death

Investigators believe that Dawn Sturgess and her partner Charlie Rowley were unintentionally exposed to the same nerve agent. They were discovered unconscious in Amesbury, situated about 10 miles from the site where the Skripals were found.

British police traced the nerve agent to a Nina Ricci perfume bottle, which they suspect was left at Sergei Skripal’s home before it was given to Sturgess by Rowley, who found it. Sturgess then sprayed it on herself.

Authorities reported that Sturgess had been exposed to the poison at levels estimated to be at least ten times higher than what the Skripals encountered. She died about a week later, while Rowley was hospitalized for several weeks before being discharged.

An investigation into Sturgess’ death commenced in 2021 and is set to officially start in Salisbury in October before relocating to London, according to reports by the BBC.

The court now has access to transcripts of police interviews conducted with the two following their release from the hospital after the poisoning incident, as noted in Hughes’ ruling.