I'm still on the fence about how far into the conspiracy theory land I'd go – but if you imagine that this nerve agent though, it could kill, in these instances

I'm still on the fence about how far into the conspiracy theory land I'd go – but if you imagine that this nerve agent though, it could kill, in these instances, isn't meant to kill, but rather, to show force, and penetration. A "see what we could do" – with the understanding that they could use something more subtle than Novichok if they wanted to.