Putin’s frog poison hit on Navalny reveals his secret chemical weapons

 Alexei Navalny was killed with a toxin developed from an Ecuadorian frog on the orders of Vladimir Putin, proving that Russia possesses illegal chemical weapons, the Government has revealed.

An investigation, understood to have been led by Porton Down scientists, concluded that the Russian opposition leader was assassinated with a poison 200 times stronger than morphine.

The 47-year-old was murdered while incarcerated in a Siberian prison following years of outspoken criticism of the Russian president.

Shortly after his death, biological samples – including human tissue – were smuggled from his cell and sent for analysis to two specialist laboratories, including the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Wiltshire.

After nearly two years of analysis, scientists have established that traces of epibatidine were found in the specimens.

The poison, described as one of the deadliest on Earth, was first discovered in Ecuadorian dart frogs. However, the lethal chemical cannot be produced if the creatures are in captivity away from tropical and humid forests.

Scientists involved in the “painstaking” research have concluded that it was made synthetically in a highly sophisticated laboratory that would have needed state sponsorship for such advanced chemistry.

In a joint statement issued by five European countries, the Kremlin was reported for being a “blatant breach” of the Chemical Weapons Convention and accused of committing Navalny’s “brutal and barbaric” murder.

The Foreign Office also criticised Russia for failing to honour a 2017 commitment to destroy all its chemical and biological weapons and renounce their use.

“The Kremlin believes that it can develop these weapons covertly and without consequences,” the statement says. “They are mistaken. The UK knows what Russia is doing, and will expose and combat this activity at every opportunity.”

The joint announcement was made as Sir Keir Starmer told the Munich Security Conference he wanted to forge stronger military and defensive links with Europe because “Russia has proved its appetite for aggression”.

The Prime Minister announced that the Royal Navy will patrol Greenland as a deterrent in the High North.

Referring to the investigation’s findings, he said: “Alexei Navalny displayed huge courage in the face of tyranny. His determination to expose the truth has left an enduring legacy, and my thoughts are with his family today.

“I am doing whatever it takes to defend our people, our values and our way of life from the threat of Russia and Putin’s murderous intent.”

The decision to issue the announcement about the poison came two days before the second anniversary of Navalny’s death on Feb 16, 2024.

Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry’s spokeswoman, dismissed the claims Navalny had been poisoned as a hoax.

“All such assertions are merely propaganda aimed at diverting attention from pressing Western issues,” she said, according to the Kremlin-run news agency Tass.

Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, said: “Since Yulia Navalnaya announced the loss of her husband here in Munich two years ago, the UK has pursued the truth of Alexei Navalny’s death with fierce determination.

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

“Today, beside his widow, the UK is shining a light on the Kremlin’s barbaric plot to silence his voice.

“Russia saw Navalny as a threat. By using this form of poison, the Russian state demonstrated the despicable tools it has at its disposal and the overwhelming fear it has of political opposition.”

She also quoted Navalny himself, who once said: “We must do what they fear – tell the truth, spread the truth and this is the most powerful weapon.”

Widow of Alexei Navalny claims he was 'poisoned in prison' | Credit: Yulia Navalnaya/X

Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, described the findings as “appalling” and said they “confirm what we have long suspected: Alexei Navalny was murdered for daring to speak out against Putin’s barbaric regime”.

She added: “This is a horrific reminder of the threat Russia poses to freedom and our way of life. Putin will stop at nothing to undermine our values and those who speak for freedom and democracy.

“Britain and our allies must stand firmly against Russia’s murderous authoritarianism and stark aggression. As we approach the fourth anniversary of Russia’s abhorrent invasion of Ukraine, we must show unity and resolve as we stand up for our shared democratic values.”

It is believed that because Navalny was in a Russian jail when he was killed, the use of a nerve agent ensured it sent a clear message that bore the hallmarks of a “calling card” from Putin, a former senior KGB agent.

Referring to the discovery of epibatidine in the samples, the UK Government, in collaboration with Sweden, France, the Netherlands and Germany, said: “There is no innocent explanation for its presence in Navalny’s body.”

The chemical initially causes shortness of breath, then rapid intakes of air before acute convulsions, seizures and vomiting. A lethal dose takes 30 minutes to kill its victim.

Photographs from the cell where Navalny was held show vomit on the floor, which corroborates the theory that he was poisoned.

Navalny’s supporters, along with his wife, have always insisted the Russian government was responsible for his death, despite the authorities insisting he died from natural causes. It remains unclear how the poison was administered.

The use of nerve agents as a way to deliver an intimidating message from the Kremlin was highlighted in 2018 when Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy, and his daughter Yulia Skripal were targeted with Novichok by Russian agents in Salisbury.

The Foreign Office accused Russia of having “brazenly developed and deployed” the Epibatidine in direct “violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention”.

The Kremlin has also been accused of using chloropicrin, a chemical weapon that causes death from choking, during its war with Ukraine.

“Russia’s egregious and irresponsible actions, including its barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine continue to threaten our shared security,” the Foreign Office said. “Time and again, the Russian state shows the depths it is willing to go to terrorise people and undermine democracy.”

The Organisation on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will be informed of the scientists’ analysis, which is said to prove Russia’s “blatant breach” of the Chemical Weapons Convention.