The family of Novichok victim Dawn Sturgess have said "there must be reflection and change" as they criticised the lack of recommendations in a public inquiry's final report.
Relatives of the 44-year-old, who died after being exposed to the nerve agent in Amesbury, Wiltshire, in 2018, said it is a "matter for real concern" that no recommendations were made by the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry’s chairman, Lord Hughes of Ombersley.
Her father Stan Sturgess told reporters his family "can have Dawn back now", adding: "She’s been public for seven years. We can finally put her to peace."
Ms Sturgess’s death followed the attempted murder of former spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and then-police officer Nick Bailey, who were poisoned in Salisbury in March of the same year.
The inquiry’s final report said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "astonishingly reckless" and bears "moral responsibility" for Ms Sturgess’s death.
The UK sanctioned Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency in its entirety following the report’s release, with measures also hitting 11 people linked to state-sponsored hostile activity, and Moscow’s ambassador being summoned to the Foreign Office.
Lord Hughes concluded a GRU military intelligence squad smeared the nerve agent on Mr Skripal’s door handle in a "public demonstration of Russian power".
In their statement, Ms Sturgess’s family said it was a "serious concern" that an "adequate risk assessment of Mr Skripal was not done" and "no protective steps were put in place".
Summarising their response to the report, the statement read: "Today’s report has left us with some answers, but also a number of unanswered questions.
"We have always wanted to ensure that what happened to Dawn will not happen to others; that lessons should be learned; and that meaningful changes should be made.
"The report today contains no recommendations. That is a matter of real concern.
"There should, there must, be reflection and real change."
The sanctions announced by the Foreign Office target eight cyber military intelligence officers working for the GRU, which was responsible for cyber operations targeting Ms Skripal with X-agent malware and, five years later, the attempted murder of her and her father.
A further three GRU officers were designated for orchestrating plots elsewhere in Europe, including planning a terror attack on Ukrainian supermarkets.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the report’s findings are "a grave reminder of the Kremlin’s disregard for innocent lives".
He said: "Dawn’s needless death was a tragedy and will forever be a reminder of Russia’s reckless aggression.
"The UK will always stand up to Putin’s brutal regime and call out his murderous machine for what it is.
"Today’s sanctions are the latest step in our unwavering defence of European security, as we continue to squeeze Russia’s finances and strengthen Ukraine’s position at the negotiating table."
