Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny reportedly died in prison after being poisoned with a deadly toxin found in Ecuadorian dart frogs, according to claims from the UK and other allies.
The “barbaric” act – using a neurotoxin that is classed as a chemical weapon – could only have been carried out by Vladimir Putin’s government, they said on Saturday, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.It is not clear how the frog poison – called epibatidine – was allegedly administered to Mr Navalny, who had been in a penal colony in Siberia when he died almost exactly two years ago.
Indigenous tribes in South America are said to use the toxin in blow darts or blowguns when they hunt.
The poison is 200 times stronger than morphine.
Yulia Navalnaya, the Russian dissident’s widow, appeared at a press conference on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich to announce the discovery, flanked by the foreign ministers of the UK, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.
The four countries and France have been working together to establish how Mr Navalny, 47, died.
Aleksei A. Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died in prison two years ago, was most likely poisoned by a toxin found in a South American frog, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said on Saturday in a joint statement.
Samples taken from Mr. Navalny’s body showed the presence of a toxic substance, epibatidine, according to the statement, which was released by the foreign ministries of the five countries.
“Epibatidine is a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America. It is not found naturally in Russia,” the statement read.
While Cooper announced the findings, a joint statement was issued by the UK, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Cooper met with Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya at the conference this weekend.
“Russia saw Navalny as a threat,” Cooper said at the event.
“By using this form of poison the Russian state demonstrated the despicable tools it has at its disposal and the overwhelming fear it has of political opposition,” she added.
In the statement the allies said: “Only the Russian state had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin to target Navalny during his imprisonment in a Russian penal colony in Siberia, and we hold it responsible for his death.
“Epibatidine can be found naturally in dart frogs in the wild in South America. Dart frogs in captivity do not produce this toxin and it is not found naturally in Russia.
“There is no innocent explanation for its presence in Navalny’s body.”
The Foreign Office said the UK has informed the Organisation on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of Russia’s alleged breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Praising Navalny’s “huge courage”, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said “his determination to expose the truth has left an enduring legacy”.
“I am doing whatever it takes to defend our people, our values and our way of life from the threat of Russia and Putin’s murderous intent,” he added.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also said his country “pays tribute” to Navalny, who he suggested was “killed for his fight in favour of a free and democratic Russia”.
Navalny – an anti-corruption campaigner and Russia’s most vociferous opposition leader – died suddenly in jail on 16 February 2024 at the age of 47.
In 2020 he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. He underwent treatment in Germany, and was arrested at the airport upon his return to Russia
Translate This Article
