New evidence about the death of Alexei Navalny has come to light, provided by the governments of the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Following a joint investigation that also included France, they reported that the 47-year-old Russian opposition leader was poisoned with a toxin derived from the poison dart frog of Ecuador.
This specific act of barbarity – the use of a neurotoxin classified as a chemical weapon – could only have been carried out by Vladimir Putin’s government, they stated on Saturday afternoon during a press conference in Munich. As they noted, Navalny succumbed to poisoning with a toxin found in Ecuador’s dart frog – known in Latin as epibatidine – which is 200 times more powerful than morphine. This toxin is classified as a chemical weapon, and this fact raises even greater concern about the crime’s connection to the Russian government.
Ученые 5 европейских стран установили: мой муж Алексей Навальный был отравлен эпибатидином – нейротоксином, одним из самых смертельных ядов на земле. В природе этот яд можно найти на коже эквадорской древесной лягушки. Он приводит к параличу, остановке дыхания и мучительной… pic.twitter.com/vn5PCJ3akO
— Yulia Navalnaya (@yulia_navalnaya) February 14, 2026
“This toxin is used by indigenous tribes of South America with darts or blowgun weapons for hunting,” explained UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. “Only Putin’s government had the means, motive, and opportunity to use this toxin against Alexei Navalny in prison, and that’s why we’re here today, to shed light on the Kremlin’s barbaric attempt to silence his voice.”
Present at the press conference was Navalny’s wife, Yulia, who, visibly shaken, explained the circumstances of her husband’s death. “It was the most terrible day of my life,” she declared, referring to the moment she learned the tragic news on February 16, 2024. “Now I understand and know that these aren’t just words. This is scientific proof,” she emphasized.
Alexei Navalny: The Kremlin’s claims
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul shared details about the effects of poisoning from the Ecuador frog toxin, characterizing it as a “particularly powerful” neurotoxic substance. “Victims suffocate,” he said.
Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard explained why it was necessary to understand the true cause of Navalny’s death. “This is extremely important so we can hold Russia accountable for its actions and continue to expose its ongoing lies,” she said. “Now we will proceed with this information to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. This is another way to increase pressure on Russia.”
The Kremlin has not yet responded to this specific accusation.
Russia has denied any involvement in the past, characterizing Navalny’s death as the result of “combined illnesses,” including heart abnormalities. Nevertheless, UK investigators and other allies continued their research “with determination” to reach the truth. British scientists from the Porton Down research center played a decisive role in discovering this specific toxin.
The substance found in Navalny’s body is classified as a chemical weapon and represents another piece of evidence strengthening accusations against Russia for the operation to eliminate him through biochemical means. Russia was accused of attempting to assassinate Navalny using the nerve agent Novichok in 2020, a chemical weapon also used in the attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in 2018.
Navalny survived the initial poisoning and recovered in Germany before returning to Russia, where he was arrested and imprisoned.
BREAKING: Foreign Office have proof Russia murdered opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Toxin came from poison dart frog only found in S America. His widow Yulia Navalnaya says Putin killed her husband. More on @GBNEWS pic.twitter.com/ShmGW4jluG
— Katherine Forster (@forster_k) February 14, 2026
