Navalny Poisoning: UK, Allies Point to ‘Dart Frog Toxin’, Hold Russia Responsible

UK and Four Allies Blame Russia for Navalny Death, Cite Rare Dart Frog Toxin

The United Kingdom and four other countries have formally accused Russia of killing opposition leader Alexei Navalny using a rare poison derived from dart frogs. The nations confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found naturally only in South America, on Navalny’s body. “We know the Russian state used this lethal toxin to target Navalny because of his opposition,” said the UK Foreign Office.

In a joint statement, the countries said Russia had the means, motive, and opportunity and reported Moscow to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for violating the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, called his 2024 death in an Arctic prison “murder” and said laboratory analysis has now made it a “scientifically proven fact.” UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “barbaric plot to silence his voice.”

Navalny had survived a 2020 poisoning with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok and was a prominent anti-corruption campaigner exposing Kremlin-linked corruption. The UK and its allies said Russia’s failure to destroy all chemical weapons constitutes a serious international violation.