Europeans Say Navalny Killed by Rare Frog Toxin in Prison

Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who challenged President Vladimir Putin, died in a remote Arctic prison on February 16, 2024. Now, five European governments—Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands—say lab tests on samples from his body show he was poisoned with epibatidine, a rare toxin from South American dart frogs. They claim Russia had the means, motive, and opportunity to do it while he was in custody.

Background

Navalny built his name as an anti-corruption fighter in Russia. He exposed graft among officials and led big street protests against the Kremlin. This made him Putin's main foe. In 2020, he survived what he called a poisoning with Novichok, a nerve agent linked to Russian security services. He fell sick on a plane from Siberia to Moscow, then got treatment in Germany. Tests there found the agent on his clothes and skin.

After recovery, Navalny went back to Russia in 2021. Police arrested him at the airport. Courts hit him with sentences that added up to over 30 years. Most said the cases were made up to keep him quiet. The last prison was a harsh camp above the Arctic Circle, known for tough conditions.

Russia said Navalny died of natural causes. Officials listed high blood pressure, liver issues, and heart problems. His team saw vomit in his cell photos and reports of seizures before death. His mother got the body after a delay. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, took some samples abroad last year. Labs checked them and found the poison.

Key Details

The joint statement from the five countries came out on February 14, 2026, during the Munich Security Conference. They said tests confirmed epibatidine in Navalny's body. This toxin comes from skin secretions of dart frogs in Ecuador and other South American spots. Frogs in captivity do not make it, and it does not exist in nature in Russia.

Epibatidine acts fast. It is 200 times stronger than morphine as a painkiller but deadly in high doses. It hits nerves, causes paralysis, stops breathing, and leads to a painful end by suffocation. Scientists think the version used was made in a lab, not taken from frogs. How it got into Navalny stays unknown. But he was alone in prison control, so access was easy for guards.

Prior Attacks and Patterns

This fits a history. In 2020, Navalny blamed FSB agents for the Novichok try. Bellingcat investigators tracked a team that tailed him. Russia used similar agents before. In 2018, Salisbury saw Novichok kill a woman after an attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal. In 2006, polonium poisoned Alexander Litvinenko in London. Western probes said Putin approved those.

Navalnaya spoke at the Munich event with foreign ministers. She said science now backs what she knew from day one.

“Scientists from five European countries have established: my husband, Alexei Navalny, was poisoned with epibatidine—a neurotoxin, one of the deadliest poisons on earth. In nature, this poison can be found on the skin of the Ecuadorian dart frog. It causes paralysis, respiratory arrest, and a painful death.” – Yulia Navalnaya

Britain's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the announcement aims to expose Russia.

“Only the Russian government had the means, the motive and the opportunity to use that toxin against Alexei Navalny in prison and that is why we are here today to shine a spotlight on the Kremlin's barbaric attempt to silence Alexei Navalny's voice.” – Yvette Cooper

Labs in these countries, including Britain's Porton Down, did the analysis. Russian probes closed the case without charges.

What This Means

The five nations filed a report with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. They say Russia broke the Chemical Weapons Convention by using the toxin. The OPCW may investigate, but Russia often blocks such moves. Past cases like Novichok led to sanctions but no trials.

Navalnaya called Putin a murderer on social media. She vows to keep fighting. Opposition groups in Russia face crackdowns, with many leaders gone or jailed. This news comes as the Ukraine war drags on, with Putin facing little home pushback.

Europe sees this as proof of state killings. It ramps up calls for more pressure on Moscow. Navalny's death marked two years ago at Munich, when his widow first spoke out. The timing now links back to that, keeping his story alive amid global talks on security.

Russia denies it all. Spokesmen call the claims baseless and Western plots. No new statement came today. Navalny's allies say proof will push for justice, maybe one day in courts abroad.

His work lives on through videos and reports that still get views inside Russia despite blocks. The poison find adds weight to fears that critics face death in custody. Families of other prisoners watch close. International watchdogs note rising jail deaths among foes.

The story stirs old debates on poison use in politics. Dart frog toxin stands out for its rarity. Experts say lab making it points to advanced work, like state labs. No group claimed it, but fingers point to Kremlin circles.

Navalnaya plans more steps. She met leaders at Munich and eyes U.S. talks soon. The five countries stand together, a rare united front on this. It tests how far bodies like OPCW can go against big powers.