Quick Read
- Five European nations reported Alexei Navalny was poisoned with epibatidine, a toxin from dart frogs.
- This finding came two years after Navalny’s death in a Russian penal colony on February 16, 2024.
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied the accusations, calling them “biased and not based on anything.”
- Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, stated the findings provide proof that Vladimir Putin killed her husband.
- The countries notified the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of a potential breach.
MOSCOW (Azat TV) – International scrutiny intensified over the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny this week, as five European nations on Saturday, February 14, 2026, announced forensic analyses indicating he was poisoned with epibatidine, a lethal toxin found in South American poison dart frogs. This revelation, coming almost exactly two years after Navalny’s death in a Russian penal colony, has reignited calls for accountability from Moscow, which swiftly denied the accusations on Monday, February 16, 2026, the two-year anniversary of his passing.
The foreign ministers of the U.K., Sweden, France, Germany, and the Netherlands issued a joint statement, asserting that analyses of samples from Navalny showed the presence of epibatidine, a substance they noted is “not found naturally” in Russia. They declared that given the toxin’s potency and Navalny’s reported symptoms, poisoning was ‘highly likely the cause of his death,’ adding that Russia had the “means, motive and opportunity” to administer the poison while he was imprisoned.
New Forensic Details in Navalny’s Death
Alexei Navalny, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died on February 16, 2024, at the age of 47, while serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges in an Arctic Circle penal colony. Russian authorities at the time claimed his death was due to natural causes. However, the new findings from European laboratories challenge this narrative, providing a specific chemical agent linked to his demise.
Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, responded to the European report on social platform X, stating her conviction from the outset that her husband had been poisoned. “I was certain from the first day that my husband had been poisoned, but now there is proof: Putin killed Alexei with chemical weapon,” she wrote. She expressed gratitude to the European states for their ‘meticulous work’ and for ‘uncovering the truth,’ reiterating her call for Vladimir Putin to be held accountable for his alleged crimes.
Kremlin Rejects Poisoning Allegations
In response to the fresh allegations, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov unequivocally rejected the claims on Monday. Speaking to reporters, Peskov stated, ‘Naturally, we do not accept such accusations. We disagree with them. We consider them biased and not based on anything. And we strongly reject them,’ according to Reuters. This denial aligns with Russia’s consistent position regarding Navalny’s death and previous poisoning incidents.
The U.S. also weighed in, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday describing the European report as ‘troubling.’ While clarifying that the U.S. had no reason to question the report, Rubio emphasized it was a finding from the European countries themselves. ‘We’re not disputing or getting into a fight with these countries over it, but it was their report and they put that out there,’ he told reporters in Slovakia.
Calls for Accountability and International Response
The foreign ministers’ joint statement also revealed that representatives from their countries had formally notified Fernando Arias, the director-general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), of Russia’s “breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention.” This action escalates the diplomatic and legal pressure on Russia, potentially triggering an international investigation into the use of a prohibited chemical agent.
The renewed focus on Navalny’s death comes two years after his passing, which spurred widespread international condemnation. His career was marked by relentless anti-corruption campaigning, organizing major anti-Kremlin protests, and attempts to run for public office. He gained international prominence after a 2020 nerve agent poisoning, which he blamed on the Kremlin, leading to his recuperation in Germany. Upon his return to Russia in January 2021, he was immediately arrested and subsequently imprisoned, a move widely seen as politically motivated.
Alexei Navalny’s Legacy as an Opposition Figure
Navalny’s activism began in the early 2000s, gaining notoriety for exposing alleged corruption within state-run corporations through his blogs and projects like RosPil. He faced numerous charges throughout his career, including embezzlement, which he consistently dismissed as politically motivated attempts to silence him. Despite repeated arrests and a ban from running for president in 2018, he continued to challenge the Russian government from prison, condemning the invasion of Ukraine and attempting to form a labor union within the penal system.
His Foundation for Fighting Corruption was outlawed as extremist in 2021, forcing many of his associates to flee Russia. Even from behind bars, Navalny maintained contact with his legal team, who updated his social media accounts, ensuring his voice continued to reach supporters. His life and death have become a symbol of defiance against authoritarianism, culminating in the Oscar-winning documentary “Navalny” in 2023.
The specificity of epibatidine as the alleged poison, a substance with no natural presence in Russia, provides a new, concrete detail that significantly strengthens the European nations’ claims and complicates Russia’s long-standing denial of responsibility for Alexei Navalny’s death.