The Nerve Agent Too Deadly To Use, Until Someone Did

Imagine a story that goes like this: A nation-state attacks another nation state with a chemical weapon they alone have manufactured. They then deny all involvement, while at the same time issuing veiled threats, should they be held responsible.

Imagine Russia in 2018.

It is a testament not just to the brazen nature of their assassination campaign that they would carry out an attack like this, but also to the bizarre effectiveness of their 'implausible deniability' strategies. 'Alternative' media figures have lined up to question the 'mainstream media' narrative, and even politicians like Jeremy Corbyn have expressed doubts that Russia should suffer any form of punishment.

Ironically, though, despite these denials Russia's use of the nerve agent Novichok in the assassination attempt appears to have been a deliberate move to let enemies of the Russian state know that they indeed were responsible. Ellen Barry and Ceylan Yeginsu's article for the New York Times looks at the history of this toxin, as well as the different ways that it could have been used in the attack. Their reporting shows both the horrifying potential of this weapon and how the West came to know of its existence.

Moreover, it clearly shows one critically important point: Russia is the only country that could plausibly have used this agent for the attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, UK.