Alexei Navalny was likely killed using the rare toxin epibatidine, according to a joint assessment by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden and Netherlands in 2026.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said “only the Russian government had the means, motive and opportunity” to deploy the toxin while Navalny was imprisoned.
Russia, through TASS, dismissed the claims as an information campaign. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not directly addressed the findings.
Key developments:
• Allied analysis confirmed epibatidine in Navalny’s body.
• The toxin is linked to South American dart frogs and not found naturally in Russia.
• The UK notified the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of a suspected treaty breach.
• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised Navalny’s “enduring legacy”.
• Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya said the findings confirm poisoning.
Navalny was Russia’s most prominent anti-corruption campaigner and opposition figure, known for exposing alleged elite corruption and organising nationwide protests. He survived a 2020 nerve agent poisoning before returning to Russia, where he was jailed and later died in custody in 2024 aged 47.
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