Britain considers coordinated sanctions after European states conclude Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed by a rare dart-frog toxin.
LONDON: Britain will consider increasing sanctions against Russia following a joint European finding that opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by a rare toxin.
Foreign minister Yvette Cooper (pic) said the UK is looking at coordinated action, including further sanctions on the Russian regime. She made the statement at the Munich Security Conference, where the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden announced their conclusions.
The five countries stated that analysis of samples from Navalny’s body detected epibatidine, a deadly toxin found in Ecuadorian dart frogs. They said poisoning was highly likely the cause of his death, contradicting Russian claims of natural causes.
“We do know that the Russian regime has had possession of this particular chemical,” Cooper told Sky News. She noted the toxin can also be produced synthetically.
Britain’s foreign office said separately that only the Russian state had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin. It added that the UK holds Russia responsible for Navalny’s death.
Navalny, a staunch critic of President Vladimir Putin, died in a Russian prison in February 2024 while serving a 19-year sentence. The Kremlin has never given a full explanation, only saying he fell ill and died suddenly.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed Navalny’s “courage in the face of tyranny” in a social media post. He slammed what he called “Putin’s murderous intent”.
Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said the findings proved her husband was murdered. She had previously stated that analysis of smuggled biological samples indicated poisoning.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot paid tribute to Navalny after the announcement. “We now know that Vladimir Putin is prepared to use biological weapons against his own people to remain in power,” he posted on X.
Russia’s foreign ministry and its London embassy dismissed the Western report. The findings were announced two years after Navalny’s death was first reported at the same security conference.
