Vladimir Uglev, the scientist who developed Novichok, the military-grade nerve agent that has been used in high-profile poisonings, has died in Russia at the age of 80. The independent Russian outlet The Insider reported his death on Oct. 26, noting that no cause or reason for the delay in announcing it had been provided.
Uglev worked in Soviet Union laboratories between 1975 and 1990, contributing to the creation of early Novichok agents. He later became a vocal critic of its use, particularly after it was employed against prominent Kremlin opponents.
He described the 2018 poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the United Kingdom as a "state-level hit" orchestrated by Moscow. "You could say the Skripals and I are baptized by the same Novichok," he told the BBC in April 2018. "It was my substance."
Novichok was also used in the 2020 poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. He fell ill on a flight and was later treated in Germany, where labs confirmed the presence of the nerve agent. Navalny survived the initial poisoning but died in August 2024 in a Russian penal colony. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin and the use of Novichok for his death.
Uglev recounted an incident where he almost became a victim of his own creation after accidentally splashing himself with it in a lab. "If I thought about it, I could probably count a dozen people who’ve been poisoned by our substances, in different circumstances, for example, at the military training ground," he told the BBC.