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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned in the Kremlin by a deadly poison found in the skin of poisonous frogs, five European countries said on Saturday.
The foreign ministers of the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said that the analysis of samples of Navalny, who died two years ago, “absolutely confirmed the presence of epibatidine.” It is a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America that does not occur naturally in Russia, they said.
The countries in a joint statement said that “Russia had the means, the motive and the opportunity to drink this poison.” They said they reported Russia to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for violating the Chemical Weapons Convention.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said “Russia saw Navalny as a threat. By using this kind of poison, the Russian regime has shown the contemptible tools it has and the deep fear it has of political opposition.”
Navalny, who fought official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as a staunch adversary of President Vladimir Putin, died in an Arctic penal colony in February 2024. He was serving a 19-year sentence he believed was politically motivated.
Alexei Navalny, who died in Russian custody at an Arctic penal colony, is remembered as a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, who was often seen in Navalny’s blog posts about corruption and the luxurious lifestyles of the country’s elite.
Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said last year that two independent labs found that her husband had been poisoned shortly before his death. Navalnaya has repeatedly blamed Putin for Navalny’s death, a charge Russian officials have vehemently denied.
Navalnaya said on Saturday that she was “sure from day one” that her husband had been poisoned, “but now there is proof.”
“Putin killed Alexei with a chemical weapon,” X wrote on social media, calling Putin a “murderer” who must “answer.”
Russian authorities said the politician fell ill after the trip and died of natural causes.
In 2020, Navalny was poisoned during a nerve agent attack blamed on the Kremlin, which has always denied involvement. His family and friends fought for him to be taken to Germany for treatment and recovery.
Five months later, he returned to Russia, where he was immediately arrested and imprisoned for the last three years of his life.
Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya has laid the blame for her husband’s death at the feet of Vladimir Putin, as she vowed to continue her fight for a ‘free Russia’ and urged supporters to join her.
