Five European nations have jointly accused the Russian state of poisoning opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a lethal toxin derived from poison dart frogs, escalating international condemnation of the Kremlin two years after his death.
The foreign ministries of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands released a statement on Saturday confirming that analysis of samples taken from Navalny “have conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine.” The toxin, found in the skin of poison dart frogs native to South America, is not naturally occurring in Russia, the statement added.
“Only the Russian state had the combined means, motive and disregard for international law” to carry out the attack, the joint statement asserted. The countries announced they are reporting Russia to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for a breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Navalny, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin and a vocal advocate against corruption, died in February 2024 while serving a 19-year sentence in an Arctic penal colony. His death was widely condemned internationally, with many immediately suspecting foul play.
Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, has consistently blamed Putin for her husband’s death. She stated on social media following the release of the joint statement that she had been “certain from the first day” that Navalny was poisoned, and that the findings now provide proof. Last year, she revealed that independent laboratory tests had detected traces of poison shortly before his death.
Russian authorities maintain that Navalny died of natural causes after becoming ill during a walk in the prison colony. This account has been met with skepticism by Navalny’s supporters and the international community.
The accusation marks the second time Russia has been publicly accused by these nations of using poison against Navalny. In 2020, the same group of countries condemned Russia’s use of the nerve agent Novichok in a poisoning attempt against the opposition leader. That incident, like the latest findings, prompted calls for accountability and raised concerns about the Kremlin’s willingness to target its political opponents.
The UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, speaking at the Munich Security Conference where the statement was released, emphasized that the Russian government possessed the “means, motive and opportunity” to deploy the toxin while Navalny was imprisoned. She described the use of epibatidine as a demonstration of the “despicable tools” at the Russian state’s disposal and its “overwhelming fear of political opposition.”
According to the Sky News, epibatidine is 200 times stronger than morphine and causes paralysis, breathing difficulties, and death. The method of administration of the toxin to Navalny remains unclear.
The joint statement also referenced a previous incident in 2018, where Novichok was used in Salisbury, England, resulting in the death of British woman Dawn Sturgess. The countries reiterated that in both the Navalny and Sturgess cases, only the Russian state had the capacity and willingness to carry out the attacks.
The UK’s Permanent Representatives to the OPCW have formally notified the Director General of Russia’s alleged breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention, initiating a process that could lead to further investigation and potential sanctions.
