The United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands have stated they are confident that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with the lethal toxin epibatidine. The joint statement was published on the UK government’s website.
According to the statement, the conclusion is based on analyses of samples taken from Navalny. The tests conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine — a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not naturally occurring in Russia.
Russia has claimed that Navalny died of natural causes. However, given the toxicity of epibatidine and the reported symptoms, poisoning is considered highly likely to have caused his death, the statement says. Navalny died while in prison, meaning Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to administer the poison, the governments argue.
The countries also recalled Russia’s use of novichok against Navalny in 2020, as well as the 2018 Salisbury poisoning that resulted in the death of British citizen Dawn Sturgess.
Their Permanent Representatives to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have informed the Director General of what they describe as Russia’s breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The statement also raises concerns that Russia may not have destroyed all of its chemical weapons stockpiles.
The joint statement was agreed by the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK.