The Spy Who - The Spy Who Putin Poisoned | Bear Traps | 4

Episode Date: November 12, 2024

As hospital medics battle to save the first victims of the Salisbury poisonings, police hunt the perpetrators. And while they're searching, the spy war between Russia and the West heats up, with an eventful call between Prime Minister Theresa May and President Donald Trump.Listen to The Spy Who ad-free on Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-spy-who now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge full seasons of The Spy Who early and ad-free on Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app. England. On the intensive care ward, Sergei Skripal's heartbeat slows and then stops. The hospital team swings into action. The night shift doctor starts chest compressions. One, two, three, four. Dr. James Haslam, the intensive care consultant who was just prepping to take over the shift, readies the defibrillator. Attaching defibrillation pads. Charging. Oxygen away. Clear. Haslam delivers an electric shock to Skripal's chest.

The 66-year-old's body arcs in the air in response. Oxygen back on. It worked. Skripal's heart is beating again. But Haslam can see he's holding on to life by the slenderest of threads. Well done, everyone. Sister Clark, could you monitor, please, while we continue the handover? It's 12 hours since Sergei and his daughter, Yulia, were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury city centre.

The intensive care team has been battling to keep them alive ever since. Haslam can see the exhaustion on the night shift doctor's face. He was saying initial thoughts were a fentanyl overdose. The night shift doctor nods yes but they've had regular injections in the loxan and there's been no response. Also the night shift doctor pulls Haslam into a less crowded part of the corridor. A few hours ago, the police informed us he is a former Russian spy in Salisbury. His colleague gives a tired half smile at Haslam's disbelief. They thought it might be an assassination attempt with polonium, like that Litvinenko guy. We did a radiation test, but can't be. They both got ill too quickly. Exactly. But what is it? Their organs are starting to shut

down. We're losing them. Haslam flicks through Skripal's notes again. Something is tugging at his memory. Two farmers he once treated for insecticide poisoning. A half-remembered conversation with a medic from the government's nearby defence laboratory, Porton Down. Wait, they're pupils. Meiosis? Haslam runs back to the beds. He lifts one of Skripal's closed eyelids and clicks on his penlight. The pupil is a tiny dot in the middle of the eye. Julius are the same. The night shift doctor is now by Haslam's side. What are you thinking? It could be a nerve agent. We need to test their cholinesterase levels and talk to Porton down. But it fits. Haslam stares down at the grey face of Scripple, barely visible beneath

the oxygen mask, and feels a sense of dread. Even if his theoryafri, and this is The Spy Who. In the last episode, former GRU colonel turned MI6 agent Sergei Skripal started a new life in Salisbury. He assumed that his pardon from Russia's president guaranteed his safety. But then, two GRU operatives flew into Britain on a mission to assassinate Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. To carry out the attack, they brought with them a fake perfume bottle, filled with the deadly and illegal nerve agent, Novichok. You're listening to The Spy Who Putin Poisoned.

This is Episode 4, Bear Traps. Monday, March 5th, 2018. Porton Down, Wiltshire. Seven miles from Salisbury. Inside Britain's top-secret defence research facility, a scientist steps into the airlocked security doors of a Level 4 laboratory. Level 4 laboratories are the most secure on the site, designed for the study of the world's most dangerous pathogens and chemicals. This scientist is one of the very few cleared to work in them, and he's under urgent instruction to test for nerve agents in the blood of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. He snaps on his gloves and then steps into a puffed-up hazmat suit with a tall clear helmet. If this is a nerve agent he needs to take every precaution. Suited up he moves to the large enclosed Perspex box

in the center of the room. He opens the small round doors on the box and pushes his hands through to where the blood sample sits alongside test tubes, petri dishes and other specialist equipment. He steadies his breathing before squeezing out a drop of blood onto the petri dish. Now comes the painstaking process of separating out the compounds, searching for signs of a poison designed to be invisible and utterly deadly. He just hopes he can identify the toxin in time to help save the Skripals' lives. That evening, Salisbury city centre. A local resident and his wife leave the car park, looking forward to a rare night out without the kids. They've booked a table at the Italian

restaurant Zizi. But as they turn into Castle Street, they stop abruptly. Flashing red and blue lights bounce eerily off the buildings. The footpath in front of the restaurant is crowded with police cars and a fire engine. The whole street is cordoned off with blue and white police tape. Another police van arrives as the husband pushes through to the front of the crowd to speak to the officer on guard. Excuse me, what's going on here? Sorry, sir, police incident. Nobody's allowed through. But we've got a booking at Zizi's. What is that? The husband points to men in what looked like fluorescent green spacesuits emerging from the police van in front of Zizi. I'm sorry about your booking, sir, but the restaurant won't be open tonight, or probably for some time.

The man returns to his wife and puts his arm around her. They watch in disbelief as the figures in the green hazmat suits power hose the pavement and wrap restaurant furniture in plastic. Their city is starting to resemble a scene from a disaster movie. 2 a.m. the next morning, Porton Down, Wilshire. Chief scientist Professor Tim Adkins picks up the receiver on his secure phone and calls Britain's security service, MI5. Adkins has been up all night. His lab coat smells of stale sweat, while his normally round, cheerful face is lined with worry. MI5's Deputy Director General, Ken McCallum, picks up.

He's been waiting for Atkins' call. Professor Atkins, what's the update? It's definitely a nerve agent, but we've tested for VX and sarin and it's negative. So it's something more exotic? Atkins grimly stares down at the results in front of him. We believe it's a form of Novichok, but it's coming up negative against the A230 and A232 samples we've got here. I see. Just a second, Professor. Atkins waits patiently as McCallum talks to someone else before coming back on the line.

Atkins sits up slightly. Yes, A234. It can be formulated into a liquid or gel. In fact, that aligns with their symptoms. It would have been much faster acting if they had inhaled or swallowed it. They must have touched it. A234 is extremely rare, though. I've never come across a sample of it. Atkins senses the palpable hesitation at the other end of the line. I can give you security clearance to access a sample of A234. We have credible intelligence that Russia has retained small stocks of it for assassinations. Atkins knows better than to question where the sample has come from.

Instead, his mind moves swiftly to the implications. If it's in a liquid or gel form, it could still be out there somewhere. People could still be touching it. Yes. And I think you should brief the police and public health about that danger. Atkins hangs up slowly, lost in his thoughts. He's long known the Russians hadn't got rid of their Novichok, despite signing treaties promising to do so. But he can't believe the Russians would be so reckless as to use Novichok in this way. It's one of the most lethal substances on earth,

and in liquid form, it won't just endanger the Skripals. It will also pose a risk to anyone who has had contact with them, or anything they touched. Four days later, the Cabinet Office, Whitehall, London. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May stalks into the room and takes her seat in the centre of the long table. She looks around at her National Security Council. It includes cabinet ministers, intelligence services and the military. And they're here to decide the government's diplomatic response to the poisonings. May begins the discussions.

Can we please start with an update on the Skripals' condition? National Security Advisor Mark Sedwell looks down at his notes. Slightly better news. Porton Down were able to suggest treatments for Novichok. Their condition is now stable, but still critical. Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, who was also hospitalised with Novichok poisoning after visiting Sergei Skripal's home, remains in a serious condition. Is that where they were initially poisoned? We don't know for sure yet, but it's a strong possibility. May feels her stomach clench. The Novichok is still out there and still lethal. She checks her briefing notes. I see that Novichok was originally developed and produced in southern Russia.

Is this the only place it could have come from? In this case, I think we can with some confidence say yes. We know it is of military-grade purity. We know Russia has stockpiled this compound to use in state-backed assassinations. We know they view defectors as legitimate targets and Sedgwell checks his notes again briefly. We have now built an intelligence picture that shows both Sergei and Yulia have been under Russian surveillance for the last five years. The politicians and military chiefs around the table shift uncomfortably. But May never takes her eyes off Sedwill. But why Skripal?

He was given a presidential pardon. I can't see that he posed any threat to Putin. Seems that it was a mistake to think that a Russian presidential pardon offered protection. Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, speaks up. But why use an outlandish poison easily linked to Russia? Why risk a major diplomatic incident right before a presidential election? Putin's power is built on the back of the FSB, which, for all intents and purposes,

is the reincarnated KGB. In an election year, it makes perfect sense for him to send a message to all those wanting to oppose him. As for causing a diplomatic incident, May watches Sedwill's gaze harden as he looks around the table. She knows what's coming. We did relatively little when he assassinated Alexander Litvinenko using precisely such outlandish methods. He might with confidence think we will not take any action. Next to Theresa May, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson thumps the table hard, causing his blonde mob to quiver. Exactly. What have I been telling you all? We need to stand up to Putin. He's a bully.

Yes, thank you, Boris. I agree this needs a strong response. But until we get some evidence we can use in court, what is our plan? Sedwell smiles at May. I suggest we lay a bear trap, Prime Minister. Later that day, Westminster, London. At the dispatch box, Theresa May reads her carefully written statement to a crowd at House of Commons. The Prime Minister! Mr Speaker, there are only two plausible explanations

for what happened in Salisbury on the 4th of March. Either this was a direct act by the Russian state against our country, or the Russian government lost control of this catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others. The politicians are unusually silent as she continues. This afternoon, my right honourable friend, the Foreign Secretary, summoned the Russian ambassador and asked him to explain which of these two possibilities it is.

And to account for how this Russian nerve agent... The MPs realise May has decided to take on Vladimir Putin. Her fellow Conservatives voice their approval noisily. May's voice gets stronger as she demands Russia provide full details of its Novichok programme to the International Chemical Weapons Watchdog, the OPCW. Mr Speaker, this attempted murder using a weapons-grade nerve agent in a British town was not just a crime against the Skripals, it was an indiscriminate and reckless act against the United Kingdom. And we will not tolerate such a brazen attempt to murder innocent civilians on our soil. The cheers in the chamber rise again. Britain's no longer

looking the other way when it comes to Russia. With this direct public challenge, May's bear trap is now laid. Surely now, Putin must either admit responsibility for the Salisbury poisonings or concede that he's lost control of his country's chemical weapons. So, get this. The Ontario Liberals elected Bonnie Crombie as their new leader. Bonnie who? I just sent you her profile. Check out her place in the Hamptons. Huh, fancy. She's a big carbon tax supporter, yeah?

Oh yeah. Check out her record as mayor. Oh, get out of here. She even increased taxes in this economy. Yeah, higher taxes, carbon taxes. She sounds expensive. Bonnie Crombie and the Ontario Liberals. They just don't get it.

That'll cost you. A message from the Ontario PC Party. March 12th, 2018. The city of Krasnodar, near the Black Sea in southern Russia. Vladimir Putin waves to his applauding audience of Russian farmers and agricultural businessmen. He is on the campaign trail, and in six days' time he expects to be re-elected as Russia's president. Satisfied with the audience response, Putin steps off the podium. His entourage guides him towards the exit, past the usual throng of journalists,

which includes a BBC correspondent. President Putin, Steve Rosenberg, BBC. To the surprise of his entourage, Putin slows to a stop. For once, he very much wants to hear what the BBC will ask him. Is Russia behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal? Putin smirks. Every day he waits to hear of that traitor's death. Listen, we're dealing with agriculture here. Putin smirks. Every day he waits to hear of that traitor's death.

Listen, we're dealing with agriculture here, trying to create good conditions for people's lives, and you ask me about some tragedies? He throws his hands up in mock disbelief. Get to the bottom of it first, and then you and I can discuss it. Putin smirks again as he moves on. He wants British Prime Minister Theresa May to know her attempt to issue him with an ultimatum will have no effect. Instead, his ministers and officials will put forward more than 20 different and contradictory conspiracy theories

of how the Skripals came to harm. All of which will stoke fear of the West across Russia and serve as a smokescreen that obscures the truth about what really happened in Salisbury. Sixteen days later, Number 10 Downing Street. In her office, Theresa May adjusts her chunky necklace and takes a calming breath before picking up the phone. Mr President, on the other end of the line is Donald Trump, President of the United States. Oh, hi Teresa. So I got rid of those Russians like you wanted. And I wanted to thank you personally. It means a great deal that our allies are standing with us against Russia over this attack.

May grips the phone hard. Her first call to Trump, on the day of the Salisbury poisonings, worried her. He refused to blame Russia, and later sacked his Secretary of State just hours after he said it was highly likely that Russia was behind the attack. But today, Trump seems in a breezy mood. He has just expelled 60 Russian diplomats from the US and closed two Russian consulates, all in response to the poisonings. Oh, sure. We're with you all the way. I mean, I didn't want to do anything until the rest of the world did, but now you've got how many other countries on board? There are 26 countries. We're expelling 153 Russian diplomats and spies. Yeah, I mean, I don't see why we have to expel more than you Brits, but I guess if they're spies... May rolls her eyes slightly. And obviously the United States is

much bigger than the UK. Sure. And nobody can blame me for not doing anything now, can they? No, Mr President. This has been decisive action on your part. Despite her exasperation, May feels elated. The US is finally on side, and this many expulsions will surely decimate Russia's global espionage networks. Putin can no longer get away with murder. A few days later, Salisbury District Hospital. A female MI5 officer nods to the armed police officer guarding the Skripals' hospital room. He moves aside for her. As she enters, she sees Sergei Skripal. He's still in a medically induced coma, surrounded by life support machines.

She heads to the other bed where Yulia lies upright, her blonde hair splayed across the pillow. Yulia's eyes open as she hears the approaching footsteps. The MI5 officer smiles reassuringly. Hello Yulia, how are you today? Only a few days earlier, relief had rippled through the fourth floor of the hospital as Yulia began showing the first signs of independent life. I am okay. On her neck remains an angry wound where doctors had to cut open her throat to insert a breathing device. She still has an oxygen tube attached to her nose. The MI5 officer hands over a new mobile phone. This is yours. I'm afraid it's

too dangerous for you to use your old one. We've copied over your contacts, apps and social media accounts. Yulia looks at her warily, but then takes the phone and hungrily searches through her social media feed. The MI5 officer grabs a chair and gives Yulia time to reacquaint herself with the outside world. Although Yulia has been told she and her father were poisoned, she is only now learning they are also at the centre of a huge diplomatic storm. Yulia looks up, the sense of overwhelm large in her eyes. I can never go back to Moscow, can I? The MI5 officer shakes her head sadly. She sees Yulia turn her head, blinking away tears. She wonders if the young woman is thinking of her boyfriend and the future she'd hoped to build in Moscow. Yulia, I'm afraid the Russian government

is pressing for access to you and your father. Yulia looks at her father with alarm as he lies helpless in the next bed. Your cousin is also trying to reach you. She is called the hospital. If you speak to her, I would advise you to be careful. Why? In these cases, we find family members are often lent on, shall we say, by the state. You think they're using her to get to us? The MI5 officer squeezes Yulia's hand sympathetically. Not only has she had her whole world turned upside down, but that world has become a darker place. I wouldn't tell her where you are,

your condition or your father's condition, at least for the next few weeks. Why? What happens in the next few weeks? The International Chemical Weapons Agency, the OPCW, is due to confirm its findings on the nerve agent that was used to poison you. And hopefully by then, you'll be well enough that we can get you into a safe house. The MI5 officer doesn't say it, but the expectation is that the Russians will go to any lengths to get rid of the evidence linking them to the Novichok. And that includes Yulia and her father.

A few days later, April 13th, 2018. The Hague, the Netherlands. In a quiet corner of the Marriott Hotel car park, four GRU officers sit in a small grey Citroën car. In front of them, visible through a simple iron-barred fence, is the circular building that houses the International Chemical Weapons Watchdog, the OPCW. In the back seat, Yevgeny Serebrekov taps quickly on his laptop. Next to him is a small square box, a Wi-Fi router with three long tapered antennas that poke up from its sides.

I'm in. His companions smile with relief. They are all members of the GRU's Specialist Cyber Operations Unit. But they were only given this mission last night. There's been no time for detailed planning. And they are nervous. To break into the OPCW's computer network, they created a dummy Wi-Fi network

to trick someone into entering their username and password. Now, Serebryakov is using that person's detail to access the OPCW's real network. His goal is to find the watchdog's report on the Salisbury poisonings. But he must work fast. The report will be sent to the organisation's member nations in just a few hours. Suddenly, two cars screech to a halt, either side of their Citroën. Men and women armed with guns emerge from nearby cars and run toward them, shouting. Serebrekov desperately attempts to hide the computer equipment and destroy his phone. But it's too late. The doors of the Citroën are yanked open.

Serebrekov is forcibly pulled out by a Dutch plainclothes police officer. Along with his GRU colleagues, Serebrakov places his hands behind his head. You cannot arrest us. We have diplomatic immunity. You check our passports. A man steps forward. Serebrakov guesses he is an intelligence officer. We know.

We've been watching you since you arrived, Mr. Serebryakov. Internally, Serebryakov groans. He knew it was a mistake to travel on their own passports. You'll be back on a plane to Moscow tonight. However, your very helpful laptop and phone will be staying with us. As Serebryakov is ushered into the unmarked police car. The Dutch intelligence officer grins at him. You know, you GRU boys are losing your touch. That spy you tried to poison in Britain, he's out of his coma. He's going to live.

Two months later, a council house in Amesbury, eight miles northwest of Salisbury. Charlie Rowley is watching TV. He's a thin, round-shouldered man with a shaven head. He smiles as his girlfriend Dawn Sturgis appears in the doorway. Hey, love, how are you feeling? Sturgis rolls her eyes and slumps on the frayed lounge chair next to him. The room is littered with empty bottles and cigarette butts from the party they had last night. Why did we do it?

I'm seeing Grace later. Grace is Sturgis' daughter, who lives with her grandparents while Sturgis tries to secure a council house and stop her drinking. Roly pats her shoulder, but he doesn't know what to say. Then he remembers something. Hey, I got you something. Roly disappears into the hallway and returns with a rose gold perfume box with what appears to be a Nina Rishi logo on it. The box looks a bit battered, but still gleams expensively in the light. Sturgis takes the box eagerly., fancy! Where did you get this?

Rowley found it while rummaging through a charity bin in Salisbury a few days ago But he doesn't want to spoil the moment So he dodges the question Try it on Oh, I've never seen a bottle like this before What do I do? The small, delicate perfume bottle is wrapped in a hard plastic case. The dispenser with its long, thin nozzle is separate. Rowley grabs a knife and slits open the plastic before attaching

the dispenser. Ah, damn it. Some of the liquid spills on him. He gives the bottle to Sturgis and goes to wash his hands. Sturgis squirts the perfume onto her wrists and rubs them together. Thank you, love. Are you sure? It doesn't smell of anything. It seems a bit oily. Must be one of those counterfeit knock-offs. Sorry, love. Sturgis kisses him.

Don't worry about it. I'll just take it upstairs. As Sturgis heads upstairs, Roly slumps back into the worn armchair and wishes he had the money to buy her real perfume. But that will soon be the last of his problems. Within an hour, Sturgis will have collapsed, frothing at the mouth as the Novichok in the bottle courses through her body. That evening, both of them will be in comas in hospital. He will eventually come out of this. Sturgis will not.

September 5th, 2018. New Scotland Yard, London. Neil Basu, head of counter-terrorism policing, sits behind a sleek white podium. He's flanked by members of the Crown Prosecution Service, and in front of him is a room packed with journalists and photographers. On the screen behind him are mugshots of two men. Today we announced the charging of two suspects, both Russian nationals, in relation to the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal. It is likely they were traveling under aliases. There's a frisson of excitement in the room. It's been six months since the Skripals were poisoned and the identification of the suspects feels overdue. European arrest warrants have been issued for the two suspects. We are also seeking to circulate Interpol red notices. Ironically, the anticipation in the room

is the opposite of the frustration Basu feels. His team and MI5 identified the two GRU men months ago. They kept it secret in the hope the two men might travel out of Russia again and they could arrest them. But the death of Dawn Sturgis from Novichok has reignited public fears and turned this into a murder investigation. And with leaks from the investigation now appearing in the media, Basu realised he couldn't keep the information secret any longer. My thoughts remain with Dawn Sturges' family as they come to terms with their loss. Basu is angry that a British mother of three has died in such a brutal manner, and at the likelihood that the culprits will never face justice. But while the British police can't reach the suspects, he and MI5 now plan to reveal so much detail about the GRU operation

that it will make a mockery of Russia's denials. September 2018. A bland, undecorated meeting room in Moscow. Blinded by the glare of TV lights, GRU officer Alexander Mishkin sits uneasily with his colleague Anatoly Chepiga. Facing them is the editor-in-chief of RT, Russia's state-owned TV news channel,

and she's firing questions at them. Are you those men in the pictures from Salisbury? Mishkin would rather be anywhere but here. He's used to working in the shadows, men in the pictures from Salisbury? Mishkin would rather be anywhere but here. He's used to working in the shadows, not in the spotlight, but he's got no choice. Earlier today, President Vladimir Putin instructed them to come forward and prove they were ordinary citizens. Yes, we're really the people they've been showing in the photographs. Both Mishkin and Chepiger had previously received the Hero of Russia award for co-vote operations, but they're unprepared and untrained to conduct

media interviews. It feels like the interviewer has been briefed to give them a grilling. Even now, when you are talking about it, you seem very nervous. What were you doing in Salisbury? Mishkin embarks on his cover story. Our friends have been recommending that we visit this wonderful city for a long time already. Chepiga reels off the facts he has memorized about Salisbury. There is a famous cathedral there, the Salisbury Cathedral. It's famous all over the world, I think. It's famous for its 123-meter spire and for its clock, the first clock made in the world that still runs. Even to Mishkin's ear,

Chepika's rehearsed facts sound fake. Did you visit Sergei Skripal's house? Chepika snaps back. Do you know where the Skripal's home is? I don't. Maybe we passed by it, maybe we didn't pass by it. Hmm. All the footage features you two together. You spent time

together, stayed in the same hotel room, went for walks together. Why are you always pictured together? Chepiger bristles at the implication that he and Mishkin are lovers. Let's not get into our personal lives. We came here to you for protection, but it's turning into some kind of interrogation and we're starting to get really deep into things. We're not asking you things. We're not here for an interrogation. But he and Mishkin will have to sit through this interview until it's over. They fail to kill the Skripals and to cover their tracks. This public humiliation is part of their punishment.

An hour later, Moscow. In a darkened office, a GRU officer sits at a desk in front of three large computer screens. He surveys the various social media feeds. Soon, the hashtags he's been waiting for appear. He leans in closer to read the reactions to Mishkin and Chepiger's interview on RT. The last time the Russian military claimed to be on holiday was when they invaded Ukraine in 2014. Yes, when I visit the world-famous Salisbury Cathedral, I always stay at the City Stay Hotel in Bow, East London. It's just so handy. The GRU man grimaces and sets

to work. He hammers out a reply. I feel sorry for them. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. All this must be a terrible ordeal. He posts it to an army of fake accounts that automatically repost it far and wide. He taps out a second message. With their nice clothes and trimmed beards, it's obvious they are a gay couple in Salisbury for a romantic weekend. That is why they seem nervous. He keeps going, typing another message, questioning where the Skripals are and suggesting the British government kidnap them. Next to him,

another GRU officer is doing the same. And next to him is another. In fact, the whole floor of this building is full of personnel in the GRU's cyber espionage arm. All tasked with flooding the internet with disinformation. The GRU agent smiles grimly.

It doesn't matter if the world believes what the GRU officers said on RT. All that matters is the truth is shrouded in a fog of conspiracy, lies and denials. One year later, Porton Down, Wiltshire. A soldier in a dark grey protective suit and a gas mask stands in the unloading bay for the hazardous waste incinerator. He guides the reversing truck into position and signals for it to dump its load.

The items that spill out are Sergei Skripal's belongings from his house in Salisbury. It's been more than a year since Skripal and Yulia were poisoned, but the household items they touched are still contaminated with Novichok. So the decision's been taken to incinerate everything. The soldier gingerly picks up a rubbish bag that's burst and begins placing the spilled contents into a new bag. An intricately built but now broken airfix model of the HMS Victory. A sepia tinted photograph of a youthful Skripal and his wife Ludmilla on their wedding day. A colour

photo of Skripal and a young Yulia, his hand protectively on her shoulder. And finally, a cheaply produced souvenir model of an English cottage. The soldier ties the top of the bag and tosses it into the funnel of the incinerator. It slides and then drops into the fiery depths below. The last scraps of Skripal's former life turn to ash almost instantly. December 2019. Christy Miller Road, Salisbury.

Skripal's former neighbour, Ross Cassidy, hears the post arrive and heaves himself up from his lounge chair. He scoops up the sheaf of mail and sorts the bills from the Christmas cards. The writing on one envelope is unfamiliar. Curious, he reaches for a knife to slit the envelope open. A grin creases his face when he opens the Christmas card. Ha!

Inside it reads, To my dear friends, Merry Christmas, Sergei Skripal. Cassidy touches the words. He wonders where Skripal and Yulia are now. But he knows he will never

find out. Smiling, he places the card in pride of place on his mantelpiece. The current whereabouts of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia remain secret. In 2018, a Bellingcat investigation revealed the identities of the GRU agents involved in the attack, Alexander Mishkin and Anatoly Chepik. The investigation also identified the involvement of a third GRU man, Denis Sergeyev, who is thought to have been the on-the-ground commander of the operation. In 2021, British police charged Sergeyev as a third suspect in the case. After the publication of their names, the Russian

authorities erased all public records of the existence of the three men. Yevgeny Serebryakov and the other GRU officers who hacked the chemical weapons watchdog's computer systems were expelled from the Netherlands, but did not face criminal charges. At the time of recording, a public inquiry is investigating the events leading to the death of Dawn Sturgis from Novichok poisoning. To this day, the Russian government denies any involvement in the attack. From Wondery, this is the fourth episode in our series, The Spy Who Putin Poisoned. A quick note about our dialogue. We can't know everything that was said or done behind closed doors,

but our scenes are written using the best available sources. Some scenes or conversations have been created for dramatic effect. We've used various sources to make this series, including The Skripal Files by Mark Urban, and Bellingcat's investigations into the poisoning of the Skripals. Join us in the next episode, where we dive into the very overt ending of a very covert operation. We analyse what happens when deadly battles of espionage are carried out in public, with tragic consequences.

The Spy Who is hosted by me, Raza Jafri. Our show is produced by Vespucci, with writing and story editing by Yellow Ant for Wondery. For Yellow Ant, this episode was written by Judy Cooper and researched by Louise Byrne. Our managing producer is Jay Priest. For Vespucci, our senior producers are Natalia Rodriguez and Philippa Gearing. Our sound designer, Matt Peaty. Rachel Byrne is the supervising producer. Music supervisor is Scott Velasquez for Frizz and Sync. Executive producers for Vespucci are Johnny Galvin and Daniel Turkin. Executive producer for Yellow Ant is Tristan Donovan.

Our producer for Wondery is Theodora Luludis. And our managing producer is Rachel Sibley. Executive producers for Wondery are Estelle Doyle, Chris Bourne, Morgan Jones and Marshall Louis.