European Allies Condemn Russian State Over Alexei Navalny's Poisoning Death

Britain and four European allies have said they are convinced that late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a lethal toxin while held in a Russian penal colony, and have blamed the Russian state for his death. In a joint statement issued in London on Saturday, the foreign ministries of the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said analyses of samples from Navalny had “conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine,” a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not found naturally in Russia. According to news agency Reuters, the five governments said they were convinced Navalny was poisoned with a lethal toxin in a penal colony two years ago. That was the conclusion based on analyses of samples from Navalny, the statement said. Another news agency Associated Press reported that the countries said in a joint statement that “Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to administer this poison”. They added that they were reporting Russia to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for a breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The statement noted that epibatidine is a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and is not found naturally in Russia. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said, “Russia saw Navalny as a threat. 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.” The Russian government has denied any responsibility for Navalny’s death. Navalny, who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President Vladimir Putin ’s fiercest foe, died in the Arctic penal colony in February 2024. He was serving a 19-year sentence that he believed to be politically motivated. Russian authorities said that the politician became ill after a walk and died from natural causes. Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said last year that two independent labs had found that her husband was poisoned shortly before he died. Navalnaya has repeatedly blamed Putin for Navalny’s death, something Russian officials have vehemently denied. In 2020, Navalny was poisoned in a nerve agent attack that he blamed on the Kremlin, which always denied involvement. His family and allies fought to have him flown to Germany for treatment and recovery. Five months later, he returned to Russia, where he was immediately arrested and imprisoned for the last three years of his life. (With inputs from Reuters, AP)