In a joint statement, the foreign ministries of the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Germany, and the Netherlands have declared that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with epibatidine, a lethal toxin not found in Russia. This marks the first time these nations have publicly attributed his death to a deliberate act.
Analysis of Navalny’s samples revealed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin derived from poisonous tropical frogs native to South America. This finding contradicts Russian claims that Navalny died from natural causes. Experts emphasize that the symptoms and toxicity associated with epibatidine suggest a likely poisoning.
“Navalny died while in prison, indicating that Russia had the means, motive, and opportunity to use this poison against him,” the statement asserts.
The European governments referenced previous instances of chemical weapon use by Russia, including the poisoning of Navalny with Novichok in 2020 and the 2018 Salisbury attack that resulted in the death of British citizen Dawn Sturgess. In both cases, only a state actor possessed the means and motive, while disregarding international law.
The statement underscores the need for holding Russia accountable for violations of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Convention. Permanent representatives at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have sent a letter to the Director-General regarding this breach, and the governments intend to leverage all available political means to exert further pressure on Russia.
Details Surrounding Navalny’s Death in Russian Custody
On February 16, Russian authorities announced that opposition leader Alexei Navalny had died in prison following a walk. On February 17, Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, confirmed his death, alleging that he had been murdered. Yarmysh later reported that Navalny’s lawyer and mother attempted to visit the morgue in Salekhard but found it closed, despite assurances from the prison that the morgue was operational and that Navalny’s body was there.
German publication Bild reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to obtain Vadim Krasikov, an agent imprisoned in Germany, and that there were discussions about potentially exchanging him for Navalny.
On February 19, Yarmysh stated that the cause of Navalny’s death remained “unestablished.” The same day, high-ranking EU official Josep Borrell suggested renaming the European human rights sanctions regime in Navalny’s honor ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
On February 22, Navalny’s mother revealed that she had been shown her son’s body but was subjected to conditions regarding his burial imposed by Russian authorities. She also reported receiving threats.
Following Navalny’s death, his associates claimed preparations for an exchange had been underway and linked his death to these negotiations.
Navalny was buried on March 1 at the Borisov Cemetery in Moscow. In March, Putin indicated that he had agreed to an exchange involving Navalny just days before his death in custody, stipulating that Navalny should never return to Russia.
The joint statement from European nations attributes Alexei Navalny’s death to poisoning with a toxin not native to Russia, calling for accountability from the Russian government. The findings challenge Russia’s claims of natural causes and highlight a pattern of state-sponsored chemical attacks.