LONDON (AP) – Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by the Kremlin using a rare and deadly toxin, epibatidine, which is derived from the skin of poison dart frogs, according to the foreign ministries of five European nations. On Saturday, the countries—namely the U.K., France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands—released a statement claiming that comprehensive laboratory analysis of samples taken from Navalny’s body confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a neurotoxin not naturally found in Russia.
The joint statement explicitly asserted that "Russia had the means, motive, and opportunity" to administer this poison. In response to the findings, these nations declared their intent to report Russia to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, citing a serious breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The organization has yet to issue a comment regarding these allegations.
Navalny, known for his powerful opposition to President Vladimir Putin's regime—stemming from his activism against official corruption and his role in coordinating mass anti-Kremlin protests—died on February 16, 2024, under suspicious circumstances while serving a lengthy 19-year sentence, widely regarded as politically motivated. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper remarked, "Russia saw Navalny as a threat," emphasizing that the use of such a poison illustrates the Kremlin's desperate measures to suppress dissent.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also condemned the actions, stating that Navalny's poisoning highlights Vladimir Putin's willingness to deploy biological weapons against his own citizens to maintain his grip on power. The European assessment of this incident coincided with Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's widow, attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany, just ahead of the second anniversary of her husband's death. She expressed her belief that while some might have doubted the poisoning of her husband initially, the recent evidence provides undeniable proof.
Yulia Navalnaya firmly claimed, "Putin killed Alexei with a chemical weapon," labeling him a "murderer" who "must be held accountable." In response, Russian authorities had previously dismissed the allegations, maintaining that Navalny's death resulted from natural causes after a walk.
Epibatidine acts similarly to nerve agents, inducing severe symptoms including shortness of breath, convulsions, seizures, a reduced heart rate, and ultimately death. European officials have expressed a high degree of confidence in their assessment connecting Navalny's death to the toxin. When pressed about the time taken to arrive at this conclusion, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described the investigative process as "complicated." He emphasized that only individuals closely aligned with Putin could provide specific details about the events of February 16, 2024, at the Russian penal colony, but he affirmed that Russian authorities had both the opportunity and motivation to poison Navalny.
Navalny had previously survived an assassination attempt in 2020 when he was poisoned with a nerve agent, in an attack he blamed on the Kremlin, which denied any involvement. His supporters successfully campaigned for him to be flown to Germany for medical treatment after that incident. Upon returning to Russia five months later, he was promptly arrested and imprisoned for the final three years of his life.
The U.K. has consistently accused Russia of violating international obligations regarding chemical and biological weapons, citing previous incidents such as the 2018 poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England. In that case, a British inquiry determined that the attack was authorized at the highest levels of the Russian government, implicating President Putin. The Kremlin has similarly refuted any claims of involvement in the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, another Kremlin critic whose death in London in 2006 was linked to the radioactive isotope polonium-210. A British investigation concluded that two Russian agents were responsible, with suggestions that Putin had "probably approved" the operation.
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Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
