Another Novichok, another Beirut?

Smoke pours from the fire at an industrial building in Kent on Friday morning. Photograph: Joe Discipline/Facebook/PA

The Novichok issue has been resurrected by the Navalny poisoning and immediately seized on by the head of NATO to score political points at a time of heightened tensions between east and west:

See: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/nato-chief-proof-doubt-navalny-poisoned-novichok-200904111326783.html

Now another huge explosion rocks Rochester, Kent.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/sep/04/kent-fire-crews-tackle-blaze-after-big-big-explosion-near-rochester

I wonder if the highly politically astute Putin would authorise a repeat performance of a Novichok poisoning of a political opponent knowing how it would be used by the west, or for that matter allow the victim to be shipped to Germany for treatment if he were responsible? If so he must indeed be naively reckless particularly with NATO carrying out live ammunition manoeuvres only 30 miles from Russia's borders. He may indeed be that evil and stupid, but somehow I doubt it. Again the timing is highly suspicious.

See: https://shape.nato.int/nato-exercises

https://veaterecosan.blogspot.com/2018/03/litvinenko-berezovky-skripal-cia-mi6.html

https://veaterecosan.blogspot.com/2018/03/heavily-novichok-contaminated-door-knob.html

https://veaterecosan.blogspot.com/2018/03/30-important-questions-on-skripal-case.html

https://veaterecosan.blogspot.com/2018/03/novichok-stars-in-drama-screened-in.html

https://veaterecosan.blogspot.com/2018/03/craig-murray-confirms-experts-resist.html

https://veaterecosan.blogspot.com/2018/03/bbc-question-time-1532018-dover.html

https://veaterecosan.blogspot.com/2018/03/boris-johnson-issues-completely-new.html

https://veaterecosan.blogspot.com/2018/03/novichok-poison-explained-from-httpscen.html

https://veaterecosan.blogspot.com/2018/03/skripal-jumping-to-soviet-conclusions.html

https://veaterecosan.blogspot.com/2018/03/moscow-dismisses-theresa-mays.html

https://veaterecosan.blogspot.com/2018/03/sergei-skripal-nerve-agent-novichok-and.html

https://veaterecosan.blogspot.com/2018/03/russian-spy-targeted-in-britain.html