Sergei Skripal survived the attempted murder and is still alive. The person who died in the attack was Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old woman who left a partner and three children, her parents, a sister, and a large circle of extended family and friends. She had been living in a hostel for homeless people and was just beginning to get her life back on track when she was killed. This is the only person who was callously murdered by Vladimir Putin’s thugs. The attack also seriously endangered the lives of Skripal’s daughter, Sturgess’s partner (who may in fact still die from long-term effects of the poisoning), and a police officer.
The Russian agents left behind a bottle of Novichok as well as traces that were quickly picked up and spread all over the city. The thing about Novichok is that it can’t be seen, tasted, or smelled, and it remains fatal, even in incredibly small doses, for about 50 years. Therefore, by carelessly leaving traces and indeed leaving an entire bottle of the stuff, the agents who perpetrated the attack could very easily have killed thousands of people.
Well, the Russian government did have him in prison in Russia. They chose to grant him a presidential pardon, release him, and guarantee his safe passage to the UK. The US and UK got four Russians convicted of spying for the West, while Russia got back 10 of its “illegals”. Russia could have kept Skripal in prison, but chose to release him for the sake of the deep-cover sleeper agents it wanted back. Russia can’t have it both ways. A swap is a swap. It’s not really in the spirit of the arrangement to swap a prisoner then try to murder him eight years later.