• Five European nations accuse Russia of poisoning Alexei Navalny with a rare toxin.
• Analysis confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin from dart frogs in South America.
• Navalny's widow asserts that his poisoning is now scientifically proven.

In a recent joint statement, the foreign ministries of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands have accused Russia of poisoning opposition leader Alexei Navalny using the lethal toxin epibatidine. This toxin is derived from the skin of poison dart frogs native to South America and was found in samples taken from Navalny's body. The countries assert that "only the Russian state had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin" during his imprisonment in a Siberian penal colony, according to CBS News, BBC, Reuters, India Times, Le Monde, India Times, and NPR.

Navalny, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, died in February 2024 while serving a politically motivated 19-year sentence. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasized that the use of epibatidine illustrates the Kremlin's fear of political opposition. The UK and its allies are reporting Russia to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for an alleged breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention, as stated in the joint declaration by the European nations, according to BBC, India Times, and NPR.

Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has stated that the poisoning is now a "science-proven fact," expressing certainty about the Kremlin's involvement. She highlighted the significance of the findings by independent laboratories confirming her husband's poisoning shortly before his death. Navalnaya condemned Putin as "a murderer" who must face accountability, as reported by Le Monde, India Times, and Reuters.