Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed using toxin from poison dart frogs while held in an Arctic penal colony two years ago, according to a Joint Statement published by the UK on Saturday.
Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden said analyses of samples from Navalny’s body “conclusively confirmed” the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not found naturally in Russia.
The official statement, published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, says “given the toxicity of epibatidine and reported symptoms, poisoning was highly likely the cause of his death.”
It adds that “Russia’s repeated disregard for international law and the Chemical Weapons Convention is clear” and that “only the Russian state had the combined means, motive and disregard for international law to carry out the attacks.”
In a follow-up tweet, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper added that only the Russian government had the “opportunity”
Russia had previously claimed that Navalny died of natural causes.
The BBC quotes toxicology expert Jill Johnson as saying epibatidine is “200 times more potent than morphine” and that by acting on receptors in the central nervous system, it can cause “muscle twitching and paralysis, seizures, slow heart rate, respiratory failure and finally death.” She added that the extremely rare neurotoxin is only found in one wild frog species in tiny quantities, and only when the frog eats a specific diet.
The findings underline the need to hold Russia accountable for its repeated violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention and, in this instance, the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, according to the official statement released today.
Furthermore, allies are concerned that Russia “did not destroy all of its chemical weapons” and the UK and partners “will make use of all policy levers at our disposal to continue to hold Russia to account.”
The UK has informed the Organisation on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of Russia’s alleged breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Meanwhile Britain’s Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Navalny’s “determination to expose the truth has left an enduring legacy” and the Russia and Putin have demonstrated “murderous intent.”
Navalny – Russia’s most prominent and outspoken opposition leader – died suddenly in a Russian jail on Feb 16, 2024. He was arrested and imprisoned upon returning to Russia after being poisoned in 2020 with the Novichok nerve agent and receiving treatment in Germany.
Before Saturday’s announcement, Navalny’s wife Yulia Navalnaya had repeatedly claimed that her husband was killed by poisoning.
This is a breaking story and further information will be provided as it emerges.