The governments of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands have issued a joint statement unequivocally accusing Russia of murdering Alexei Navalny. Laboratory tests of samples taken from the opposition figure's body revealed the presence of epibatidine – a rare and extremely potent toxin found in South American poison dart frogs. This discovery constitutes the first such hard scientific evidence of the direct involvement of Kremlin services in the politician's death in 2024.

Detection of an exotic poison

Epibatidine, a toxin from poison dart frogs in South America, which does not occur in Russia, was found in Navalny's body.

Accusation by five governments

The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands have jointly endorsed the analysis results proving the poisoning.

Kremlin's response

Russia officially denies the findings, describing the report as propaganda and an attempt to divert attention from Western problems.

Two years after the tragic death of Alexei Navalny in a penal colony beyond the Arctic Circle, a joint investigation by five European countries has yielded breakthrough findings. Epibatidine was identified in biological material secretly smuggled from Russia to the West. This is a substance from the group of alkaloids, which does not occur naturally in Europe or Asia. Experts emphasize that this agent is 200 times stronger than morphine and causes paralysis of the respiratory muscles, leading to a painful death by suffocation while the victim remains fully conscious. Alexei Navalny was the most prominent critic of Vladimir Putin's government, who survived a poisoning attempt with Novichok in 2020, only to be immediately arrested and convicted in political trials upon his return to Russia. Authorities in London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, and The Hague note that access to such a specific toxin and the ability to administer it precisely under prison isolation conditions was possessed exclusively by Russian special services. Toxicologists point out that epibatidine was studied in the 1990s as a potential painkiller but abandoned due to its extremely narrow therapeutic window. „These are no longer just words. This is scientific proof that my husband was murdered by the Russian government and Vladimir Putin.” — Yulia Navalnaya The Russian side, through Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, has rejected these accusations, calling them part of a Western disinformation campaign. However, the detection of a toxin not native to Russia's fauna places the Kremlin in a difficult diplomatic position. Representatives of the signatory countries announce steps on the international forum to further politically isolate Moscow. 200 razy — stronger than morphine is epibatidine Toxic potential of substances relative to morphine: Morphine: 1, Epibatidine: 200 [{"dataISO": "2024-02-16", "data": "16 February 2024", "tytul": "Death of the opposition figure", "opis": "Official announcement of sudden death in Penal Colony No. 3."}, {"dataISO": "2024-09-01", "data": "September 2024", "tytul": "Widow's suspicions", "opis": "Yulia Navalnaya informs about tests of samples in foreign laboratories."}, {"dataISO": "2026-02-14", "data": "14 February 2026", "tytul": "Joint report", "opis": "Five countries announce detection of epibatidine and accuse the Kremlin."}]

Mentioned People

  • Alexei Navalny — Russian opposition figure and lawyer, who died in 2024 in an Arctic penal colony.
  • Yulia Navalnaya — Widow of Alexei Navalny, continuing his political activity.
  • Maria Zakharova — Spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.