Five European nations on Friday accused Russia of poisoning jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a rare toxin while he was imprisoned in the country’s Arctic penal system, sharply escalating tensions between Moscow and Western governments.
In a joint statement issued at the Munich Security Conference, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said testing of tissue samples confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a powerful toxin found in the skin of South American poison dart frogs. The governments said the substance is not naturally found in Russia and argued that only the Russian state had the capability and access required to administer it.
The findings have been reported to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the countries said, raising the prospect of an international investigation into whether chemical weapons conventions were violated.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the alleged poisoning demonstrated that Russian authorities viewed Navalny as a threat and were willing to use extreme measures to silence him. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the case showed a disregard for international norms and called for accountability.
Navalny, a longtime critic of President Vladimir Putin, was serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges widely condemned in the West as politically motivated. He died in custody in 2024, a death that prompted global condemnation and protests in several countries. Russian officials at the time said he died of natural causes.
The Kremlin on Friday rejected the new allegations, calling them part of a Western disinformation campaign. A spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the claims as politically motivated and said Moscow stands by earlier statements that no foul play was involved.
Navalny had previously survived a 2020 poisoning with a nerve agent, an attack Western governments blamed on Russian security services. Moscow denied involvement in that case as well.
The renewed accusations are likely to deepen diplomatic strains between Russia and NATO members and could lead to additional sanctions or coordinated action, officials said. Further details about the testing process and any potential international inquiry were not immediately released.