A group of five Western countries pointed to Russia as responsible for using a powerful toxin to assassinate the opposition figure
Compartir:
Five Western countries accused Russia on Saturday of having fatally poisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalnywith epibatidine, an extremely powerful neurotoxin classified as a chemical weapon, and stated that new evidence confirms that the substance was present in his body at the time of his death.
The announcement was made at the Munich Security Conference by the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and France, together with the opposition leader's widow, Yulia Navalnaya.
According to the joint statement, toxicological analyses "conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine", a substance derived from South American poison frogs and considered up to 200 times more potent than morphine.
Múltiples países europeos acusaron a Rusia de utilizar epibaditina para envenenar a Navalny, una toxina extraída de ranas de Sudamérica
Navalny, 47 years old, died on February 16, 2024 in a penal colony in the Russian Arctic, where he was serving a sentence. Russian authorities then claimed that the death was due to natural causes.
However, Western governments maintain that poisoning is the most likely explanation, given the characteristics of the toxin and the reported symptoms.
"Navalny died in custody, which means that Russia had the means, the motive, and the opportunity," the five countries stated in their communiqué. They added that the use of such a substance would demonstrate "the despicable instruments" available to the Russian state in the face of political opposition.
Navalnaya stated that she will present the findings to the international body responsible for overseeing the prohibition of chemical weapons. During her address, visibly moved, she stated that she found it difficult to find words to describe the magnitude of what had happened.
Navalny murió en Rusia en 2024 mientras cumplía una condena
The opposition leader's death triggered immediate condemnations in Europe and the United States. In 2024, then-U.S. Democratic President Joe Bidenheld the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, directly responsible for what happened.
Navalny had already survived an attempted poisoning in 2020 with the nerve agent Novichok. After receiving treatment in Germany, he returned to Russia, where he was arrested and convicted. From prison, he continued to denounce the corruption of the Russian elites and to criticize the Kremlin openly.
Moscow has repeatedly rejected any involvement in the opposition leader's death and keeps that the accusations are part of a political campaign against Russia. Nevertheless, the new findings could intensify diplomatic pressure and open the door to actions in international forums related to chemical weapons control.
El demócrata Joe Biden acuso a Vladimir Putin de una conspiración para asesinar a Navalny
