On the eve of the second anniversary of Navalny’s unexpected death in a Russian prison, Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden released the results of their joint investigation. “We are confident that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a lethal toxin,” they announced during the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
“Russia claimed he died of natural causes. However, given the toxicity of epibatidine and the reported symptoms, poisoning is highly likely,” they stated. Navalny, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, was serving a 19-year sentence in a remote Arctic prison when he died. “This indicates that Russia had the means, motive, and opportunity to administer this poison to him,” they added.
Russia has unequivocally rejected these allegations. “We do not accept such accusations. We find them biased and unfounded, and we strongly refute them,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
From Polonium to Epibatidine
The five countries claimed their findings were “conclusive,” following extensive analyses of samples from Navalny’s body. Historically, Russia has faced accusations of using poison against its adversaries. The nerve agent novichok was used in the attempted assassination of Navalny in 2020, as well as in the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in 2018.
A woman in Salisbury died after accidentally coming into contact with a perfume bottle containing the nerve agent. Additionally, Russia is implicated in the deadly poisoning of defector Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006, who succumbed after ingesting tea laced with the radioactive element polonium-210.
The independent Russian media outlet Meduza reported that Navalny’s symptoms aligned with those associated with epibatidine. Toxicology expert Jill Johnson stated that epibatidine is “200 times more potent than morphine,” with side effects including muscle twitching, paralysis, seizures, slow heart rate, respiratory failure, and ultimately death.
Hard to Detect and Lethal
The phantasmal poison frog is a poison dart frog endemic to Ecuador. It is one of the most poisonous animals in the world. © Pauln/Wikipedia commons
But why utilize such a rare poison that is only found in South American dart frogs? “With Navalny in Russian custody, there was no need for such an exotic choice,” said Luca Trenta, an associate professor of International Relations at Swansea University. “They could have used any available toxin.”
Experts suggest that its effectiveness may be a contributing factor. Alistair Hay, a toxicologist at the University of Leeds, pointed out that unlike nerve agents like novichok, where prompt medical attention could prevent death, he was unaware of any treatments for epibatidine poisoning. “There’s only one known case of survival,” he noted, referring to a lab worker allegedly exposed in 2010.
Hay added that epibatidine is particularly difficult to detect because only minute quantities are lethal, making it challenging to identify traces. Analysts unfamiliar with the specific substance would find detection even harder, especially since epibatidine hasn’t been linked to prior poisoning cases. Moreover, the toxin can be easily administered through ingestion, skin contact, or inhalation.
Was Navalny an Experiment?
Kevin Riehle, an expert in intelligence and security studies at Brunel University London, remarked that these factors don’t explain why Russia would resort to such a rare and exotic toxin on someone already imprisoned and in poor health.
The only conceivable motive, albeit quite sinister, is that they were testing it,” he said, speculating that they wanted to observe its effects knowing he was likely to die regardless.
Hay noted that scientists have been aware of epibatidine for decades and have been able to reproduce it in labs. Initially, it was researched for its pain-relieving properties as it can block nerve transmission, but those studies were abandoned due to the risks associated with incorrect dosing. “Creating this kind of weapon is not complex,” Trenta added.
Russia security expert Mark Galeotti, director of Mayak Intelligence, suggested that this alleged poisoning could serve as a reminder that the Kremlin has been developing poison technology for years, capable of creating novel and complex toxins.
Galeotti proposed that Russia may have had dual motives for choosing such an unusual poison. “On one hand, they are willing for people to think Navalny was poisoned, which serves as a warning, showcasing the lengths the Kremlin is willing to go,” he explained. “On the other, by using something unconventional, they may have hoped that the details would remain concealed.”
Trenta further noted that the toxin could also serve a dual purpose: to eliminate an adversary while making a memorable statement. “Such weapons often involve an element of theater. They aim to appear grandiose, containing a communicative element as well.”
