Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny poisoned by highly lethal dart frog toxin
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was fatally poisoned with a toxin derived from Ecuadorian dart frogs, a compound 200 times stronger than morphine, in what Western officials and his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, called a “despicable” killing likely carried out by the Russian state.
Navalny, 47, died on February 16, 2024, while imprisoned in an Arctic penal colony, triggering global outrage.
At the annual Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Navalnaya revealed the findings alongside foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The neurotoxin, known as epibatidine, is classified as a chemical weapon and is traditionally used by South American tribes for hunting, according to Sky News.
“It is hard for me to find the right words,” Navalnaya said, announcing that the evidence will be submitted to the United Nations’ chemical weapons watchdog.
The four nations, together with France, confirmed that testing had “conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine.”
“Russia claimed that Navalny died of natural causes,” the statement said. “But given the extreme toxicity of epibatidine and reported symptoms, poisoning is the highly likely cause of his death. Navalny died while imprisoned, giving Russia the means, motive, and opportunity to administer this poison.”
Western governments have long doubted Moscow’s claim that Navalny — Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic — had died of natural causes, prompting a joint investigation by five nations.
“Russia saw Navalny as a threat,” the statement continued. “By using this poison, the Russian state revealed the extreme measures it is willing to take and its fear of political opposition.”
After Navalny’s death, then-President Joe Biden said, “Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death.”
Navalny had survived a 2020 poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok, receiving treatment in Germany before returning to Russia as a leading opposition figure, where he continued exposing the wealth of oligarchs close to Putin.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also highlighted Russia’s motives, linking the attack to its broader crackdown on dissent during the war in Ukraine. Navalny had been serving a 19-year prison sentence widely condemned by Western watchdogs.
The United States did not join the announcement. The Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The toxin comes from the Epipedobates tricolor, one of the world’s most poisonous frogs. Measuring just 23 mm from snout to tail, it is typically dark red or brown with three yellow-white stripes. Found on the slopes of the Andes, the frog is considered vulnerable and does not produce this toxin in captivity.
“The presence of epibatidine in Navalny’s body has no innocent explanation,” the five Western nations said. “Only the Russian state had the means, motive, and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin while Navalny was in a Siberian prison, and we hold it responsible for his death.”
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