Novichok is a deadly nerve agent that left Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny in a coma. It also nearly killed a former Russian spy and his daughter in 2018. Novichok was the creation of a very secretive chemical weapons program when Russia was part of the Soviet Union. Here is a look at the nerve agent and its history. Novichok has been described as much deadlier than anything created by the United States. Just a few milligrams of the odorless liquid are enough to kill a person in a few minutes. The nerve agent could be watered down to the desired amount and added to food or drink. It also could be placed on clothing or other things the intended victim will touch. In the attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, a small amount was placed on the front door of his house in Salisbury, England. He and his daughter Yulia spent weeks at a local hospital in critical condition before recovering. A local woman later died after she found a bottle containing the nerve agent.