Russia killed Alexei Navalny with frog toxin, UK and four European allies say
The Guardian World
by Patrick Wintour in MunichFebruary 14, 2026
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Alexei Navalny, the prominent Russian opposition leader, was killed by a poison derived from the skin of Ecuadorian dart frogs, according to a joint statement by five European countries: the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands. These nations, following a two-year intelligence inquiry, concluded that the toxin found in Navalny’s body was administered by the Russian state, leading to his death in 2021. The US did not participate in or endorse this claim.
Navalny had been poisoned once before in 2020, with symptoms appearing while he was on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow. He survived that incident after being rushed to a hospital in Germany for treatment. Initially, Russian officials denied any poisoning and blamed his condition on food poisoning. However, independent experts later confirmed the presence of Novichok nerve agent in his system, a substance previously used by Russia in incidents like the 2018 Salisbury attack.
The new conclusion from European intelligence agencies aligns with earlier findings by independent experts, reinforcing suspicions that the Russian government was involved in Navalny’s killing. This development has
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Originally published on The Guardian World on 2/14/2026