It is revealed that Alexei Navalny was poisoned and murdered

Britain and European allies have revealed that a poison obtained from a South American 'dart frog' was used to assassinate Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Two years after his death in a Siberian prison, analysis of samples taken from his body has led to the Kremlin being held responsible for the assassination.

These facts were confirmed in a joint statement issued by the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Germany, and the Netherlands at the Munich Security Conference. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper commented that only the Russian government had the means, motive, and opportunity to use this poison while Navalny was imprisoned in Russia, and that this demonstrates Russia's fear of political opponents.

The poison 'epibatidine', found in Navalny's body, is naturally found only in dart frogs living in the forests of South America. Allied countries emphasize that caged frogs do not produce this poison, and since it is not found in Russia's natural environment, no justification can be provided for its presence in Navalny's body.

Speaking to BBC Russian, toxicology expert Jill Johnson explained that this poison is 200 times more potent than morphine. By affecting the central nervous system, it can lead to muscle paralysis, seizures, slowed heart rate, breathing difficulties, and ultimately even death. She further stated that since only a very small amount can be obtained from a specific species of wild frog accustomed to a particular diet, this is an extremely rare method that could be used to poison someone.

During the conference, Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalnaya, met with the British Foreign Secretary and expressed her gratitude to the European countries for uncovering the truth through meticulous investigations conducted over two years. She stated that she had believed her husband was poisoned from day one, and now the necessary evidence has been obtained.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot paid tribute to Navalny, commending his unparalleled courage. Furthermore, the United Kingdom has officially informed the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons about this, accusing Russia of violating the Chemical Weapons Convention.

However, according to the Tass news agency, Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova rejected these accusations, stating that this is merely an information campaign to divert attention from problems in Western countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who avoided even mentioning Navalny's name while he was alive, only referred to his death a month later as "always a sad event." Navalny, a powerful anti-corruption activist aged 47, survived poisoning with the nerve agent 'Novichok' in 2020, and later mysteriously died in a Siberian prison cell on February 16, 2024.