Vladimir Putin would have authorised the assassination attempt on Sergei Skripal because of the “enormous” reputational risk the Novichok poisonings would have posed to Russia, a senior Foreign Office official has said.
Jonathan Allen, director general of defence and intelligence at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry that Russia would have been “shocked” by the speed of the international response to the attempted killings in Salisbury.
