An inquiry into the death of Litvinenko that was published this week found conclusively that the assassination was ordered by the FSB—the KGB’s post-Soviet reincarnation. A retired High Court judge, who oversaw the inquest, said Vladimir Putin had “probably” approved the operation personally.

Britain was initially reluctant to hold the public inquiry, but its findings—which link the Kremlin to seven recent assassinations—have now forced the cloak-and-dagger world of international espionage out of the movies and into the news bulletins.

“Although not often discussed in public, our security and intelligence agencies have always—dating back to their roots in the first and second world wars—had the protection of the U.K. from state threats at the heart of their mission,” admitted Theresa May, the Home Secretary, who is responsible for Britain’s security and intelligence. “We have to accept that this does not come as a surprise.”

Russia daring to commit murder on the sovereign soil of a major Western nation was nothing new.