Navalny Was Poisoned With Frog Toxin, European Governments Say (NYT Gift Subscription)

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The toxin was found in the body of the Russian dissident Aleksei A. Navalny, who died in prison two years ago, five governments said, challenging Russia’s official account.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/world/europe/russia-navalny-poison.html?unlocked_article_code=1.MFA.R4jW.xcTUGM3fevsI&smid=nytcore-ios-share

Aleksei A. Navalny was most likely poisoned by a toxin found in a South American frog, five European countries said on Saturday, making the most concrete Western accusation yet that Russia’s leading opposition figure was murdered by his government in an Arctic prison two years ago.

Samples taken from Mr. Navalny’s body showed the presence of a toxic substance, epibatidine, according to a statement released by the foreign ministries of Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.

“Epibatidine is a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America. It is not found naturally in Russia,” the statement read.

“Only the Russian government had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin against Alexei Navalny during his imprisonment in Russia,” it read.

The finding directly challenges Russia’s official account of Mr. Navalny’s death, which was that he died of natural causes. Instead, the statement said, the presence of a foreign toxin shows that the Russian authorities most likely killed Mr. Navalny, who was the government’s most prominent political opponent when he died in a maximum-security prison in the Russian Arctic in 2024.

It was also clear evidence that Russia has not ended its use of chemical weapons, disregarding international law, the statement added.

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1. Joint Statement from our Allies

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