Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny died of poisoning with a lethal toxin present in poisonous frogs in South America, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands said in a joint statement.
These countries highlighted that their respective governments reached this conclusion based on samples collected from Navalny, which conclusively confirmed the presence of this substance called epibatidine.
Russia has always maintained that Navalny died of natural causes in prison in February 2024. However, given the toxicity of epibatidine and the reported symptoms, it is very likely that poisoning was the cause of his death, the joint statement adds.
This poison is estimated to be 200 times more potent than morphine, according to British media outlets.
The joint statement highlights that the Russian oppositionist lost his life at the age of 47, while in a prison in Siberia, which means that Russia had the means, the motive and the opportunity to administer this poison to him. Russia’s repeated disregard for international law and the Chemical Weapons Convention is evident, the signatories add.
In August 2020, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and their allies condemned Russia’s use of novichok to poison Navalny, after this substance was used by Russia in the English city of Salisbury in 2018 to attempt to assassinate former Russian spy Sergei Skripal.
In both cases, only the Russian state had the means, motive and disregard for international law to carry out these attacks, the joint note states.
These latest findings once again highlight the need to hold Russia accountable for its repeated violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention and, in this case, the Biological Weapons Convention.
“Our Permanent Representatives to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons wrote to the Director General today to inform him of this violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention by Russia. We are also concerned that Russia has not destroyed all of its chemical weapons,” the statement said.
The United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands say they will use “all political instruments” at their disposal to continue demanding accountability from Russia.
British media outlets indicate that it is not clear how the poison would have been administered to Navalny.
The widow of the Russian dissident, Yulia Navalnaya, held a press conference on Saturday on the sidelines of the Security Conference being held in Munich to announce the discovery.
At the press conference, British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper said that, since Navalny’s death, the United Kingdom has investigated “with firm determination” the truth about his death.
“Only the Russian government had the means, motive and opportunity to use this lethal toxin against Alexey Navalny during his imprisonment in Russia. Today, together with his widow, the United Kingdom sheds light on the Kremlin’s barbaric conspiracy to silence his voice,” Cooper added.
