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Outrageous and reprehensible, certainly. The international reaction to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, got that much right. But Germanys description of the act as astounding was less apt. Few were surprised when Berlin confirmed on Wednesday that a nerve agent from the Novichok family had been used, tying the attack firmly to the highest levels of the Russian state, though Moscow has denied involvement. Mr Navalny is being treated in Germany and remains gravely ill. The question is what follows the condemnation. The wife of the British policeman who almost died after investigating the 2018 Salisbury poisonings gave a tart response to Boris Johnsons denunciation: Actions speak louder than words. The attack on defector Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia which led to the death of a British woman, Dawn Sturgess stirred the west to concerted diplomatic action, with 20 countries carrying out a mass expulsion of Russian diplomats alleged to be spies. But it had little discernible effect, and with fewer foreign diplomats left in Moscow, countries are more reluctant to lose them to tit-for-tat expulsions. Angela Merkel was unusually vocal in her condemnation on Wednesday, saying the attack was, beyond doubt, attempted murder, which posed very serious questions that only the Russian government can answer and must answer. But she was also adamant that Germany will press ahead with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which could double the amount of gas brought into Europe from Russia. Mr Navalny had suggested action to rein in Russia should target those with close links to Mr Putin, including in London. In the UK, Magnitsky-style legislation and unexplained wealth orders give the government new options. It shows little interest. The long-delayed Russia report, finally released in July, found that British government and intelligence agencies failed to conduct any proper assessment of Kremlin attempts to
