Overview
- Britain, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands say laboratory analyses of Navalny’s samples conclusively detected epibatidine, a rare neurotoxin linked to poison‑dart frogs.
- The governments argue Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to administer the toxin during Navalny’s imprisonment and hold the state responsible for his death.
- The five countries have formally notified the OPCW, alleging a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and signaling potential follow‑on diplomatic action.
- Epibatidine is described as extremely potent—reports cite potency roughly 200 times that of morphine—and capable of causing paralysis and respiratory failure; it is not naturally present in Russia.
- Yulia Navalnaya endorsed the findings at the Munich Security Conference, while Russian authorities reject the accusation and maintain Navalny died of medical causes.