Five European allies blame Russia for the death of Navalny in 2024

Five European allies have blamed Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny by using toxin from poison dart frogs while he was held in an Arctic penal colony two years ago. Moscow has rejected this claim calling it propaganda.

Speaking to media in Munich where the Munich Security Conference is taking place, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said it was clear that Russian authorities had the possibility, the motive and the means to administer the poison to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Wadephul added, "there are states like the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, France and Germany that make such things public, who won't let it be swept under the rug.

The five European courtiers said Saturday that Navalny was poisoned by the Kremlin with a rare and lethal toxin epibatidine found in the skin of poison dart frogs.

UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "Only the Russian government had the means, the motive, and the opportunity to use that toxin against Alexei Navalny in prison and that is why we are here today,

to shine a spotlight on the Kremlin's barbaric attempt to silence Alexei Navalny's voice."

Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya said last year that two independent labs had found that her husband was poisoned shortly before he died. "Now, it's not just words, it's scientific proof that my husband Alexei Navalny was poisoned and killed by Russian government and by Vladimir Putin in Russian prison."

Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony in February 2024. He was serving a 19-year sentence that he believed to be politically motivated after he crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as Russian President Vladimir Putin's fiercest foe.

Russian authorities said that the politician became ill after a walk and died from natural causes.