# Novichok developer Vladimir Uglev dies aged 80 after criticising Moscow over Salisbury poisoning

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/russian-scientist-who-invented-novichok-nerve-agent-dies-after-accusing-moscow-of-state-level-hit-in-britain/
- Published: 2026-11-04T08:24:52+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T08:44:17+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16264321/Russian-scientist-Novichok-nerve-agent-dies-Moscow-Britain.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Europe, UK, World

## Key points

- Novichok developer Vladimir Uglev has died aged 80.
- He accused Moscow of a state-level attack in Britain.
- A British inquiry concluded Putin authorised the Salisbury operation.

## Summary

Russian chemist Vladimir Uglev, who helped develop the Novichok nerve agent, has died aged 80. He had publicly accused the Russian regime of carrying out a “state-level hit” in Britain after the 2018 Salisbury poisoning, making him a prominent critic of the weapon’s use.

Uglev died on 26 October, but his death was reported more than a week later; the cause and delay are unknown. Sergei and Yulia Skripal survived the poisoning, while Dawn Sturgess died after encountering Novichok in a discarded perfume bottle. Uglev worked at a secretive Soviet chemical weapons research site from 1975 to 1990 and also spoke out about the 2020 poisoning of Alexei Navalny; a British public inquiry concluded in December 2025 that Vladimir Putin authorised the Salisbury operation.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.