Five European nations say Navalny was poisoned with dart frog toxin and blame the Kremlin
The U.K., France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands say lab tests found epibatidine in Alexei Navalny’s body and will report Russia to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, while Moscow denies involvement.
- U.K., France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands say analysis of samples conclusively found epibatidine in Navalny’s body.
- The five countries say Russia had the means, motive and opportunity and will refer the case to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for a breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
- Epibatidine is a rare neurotoxin found in poison dart frog skin, is not native to Russia and can also be manufactured in a lab.
- Navalny died on Feb 16, 2024 in an Arctic penal colony while serving a 19 year sentence, and his widow says the new findings prove he was poisoned.
- The Kremlin denies responsibility and says he died of natural causes, while Western governments point to prior attacks such as the 2018 Salisbury Novichok case.