Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died in prison after being poisoned with a deadly toxin derived from Ecuadorian dart frogs, according to the UK and allied governments.
The neurotoxin, epibatidine, is reported to be 200 times more potent than morphine. Germany’s Foreign Minister warned the substance causes victims to “suffocate in agony.”
Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, disclosed the findings at a press briefing during the Munich Security Conference, flanked by the foreign ministers of the UK, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
“It was the most horrible day of my life. My husband, Alexei Navalny, was poisoned. Now we have scientific proof,” Yulia Navalnaya stated, as reported by Sky News.
The poisoning occurred nearly two years ago in a Siberian penal colony, but the new investigation by the UK and allies—including France, Sweden, and the Netherlands—confirms the use of epibatidine. Findings are expected to be submitted to the UN’s chemical weapons watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Yvette Cooper, the UK Foreign Secretary, said:
“Only the Russian government had the means, motive, and opportunity to use this toxin against Navalny. This shines a spotlight on the Kremlin’s attempt to silence him.”
Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described epibatidine’s effects as “particularly strong,” adding that victims “suffocate in agony.” Sweden’s Foreign Minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, emphasized the need to hold Russia accountable and to increase international pressure.
It remains unclear how the frog poison was administered, though indigenous tribes in South America traditionally use epibatidine in blow darts. Russian authorities had previously claimed Navalny’s death resulted from “combined diseases,” including an irregular heartbeat.
Navalny had survived a prior poisoning with Novichok nerve agent in 2020, recovered in Germany, and returned to Russia, where he was later jailed.
The Kremlin has not yet responded to the latest allegations of Navalny’s poisoning.
