What is the ‘dart frog’ toxin, said to be linked to Alexey Navalny’s death?
Al Jazeera
February 15, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Five European nations—France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK—have accused Russia of using a poison dart frog toxin to kill opposition leader Alexey Navalny in February 2024. The claim centers on epibatidine, a neurotoxin found in South American poison dart frogs, which was allegedly detected in samples from Navalny’s body. These European countries argue that the presence of this rare substance supports their case for Russian involvement, as it is not naturally occurring in Russia and can be synthesized in a lab. They also pointed to similarities between epibatidine and nerve agents used in previous incidents, such as the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal in the UK.
Navalny, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was arrested on extremism charges in August 2023 and died while服刑in a Arctic penal colony. Russian authorities claimed his death was due to natural causes following an illness during a prison walk. However, European officials dismissed this explanation, emphasizing that the symptoms Navalny displayed—shortness of breath, convulsions, and a slowed heart rate—are consistent with poisoning by epibatidine. This toxin works by disrupting神经信号, leading to severe physical reactions.
The European nations called for Russia to be held accountable under international treaties banning chemical and biological weapons. They pointed to what they described as a pattern of Russian violations, including the use of nerve agents in previous attacks. The UK previously concluded that Putin ordered the 2018 Novichok nerve agent attack on Skripal, which killed one person and injured others.
In response, Russia denied the allegations, labeling them a Western propaganda
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Originally published on Al Jazeera on 2/15/2026