"Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by the Kremlin with a rare and lethal toxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs, five European countries said Saturday. The foreign ministries of the U.K., France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said analysis of samples taken from Navalny's body conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine. It is a neurotoxin found in the skin of dart frogs in South America that is not found naturally in Russia, they said."
"A joint statement said: Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to administer this poison. They five countries said they were reporting Russia to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for a breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The announcement came as Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany as the second anniversary of Navalny's death approaches."
"Russia saw Navalny as a threat, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said. 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. The poisoning of Navalny shows that Vladimir Putin is prepared to use biological weapons against his own people in order to remain in power, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X."
Analysis of samples from Alexei Navalny's body confirmed epibatidine, a neurotoxin from poison dart frog skin native to South America and not naturally present in Russia. The foreign ministries of the U.K., France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said Russia had means, motive and opportunity to administer the poison and reported the finding to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Navalny died Feb. 16, 2024, in an Arctic penal colony while serving a 19-year sentence. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, attended the Munich Security Conference as the second anniversary approached. British and French ministers accused the Russian state; Russian officials denied the allegations.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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