Five European countries have accused Russia of poisoning Alexei Navalny, an opposition leader and a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin, back in 2024. The foreign ministers of the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands confirmed the presence of "epibatidine", a toxin not found naturally in Russia. In a joint statement, the European countries asserted that Russia had motive and opportunity to administer this poison. They further stated that Russia has been reported to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for violation of laws.
The UK's foreign office, in its statement, said that Russia used the toxin to remove Navalny from mainstream politics. "We know the Russian state now used this lethal toxin to target Navalny in fear of his opposition," is said. Apart from this, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also stated that Russia poisoned Navalny due to fear.
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"Russia saw Navalny as a threat. 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," Cooper asserted.
Earlier on Saturday, Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's widow, claimed that her husband was murdered in an Arctic prison, adding that his murder is a "science-proven fact". "Two years ago I came on stage here and said that it was Vladimir Putin who killed my husband. I was, of course, certain that it was a murder... but back then it was just words. But today these words have become science-proven facts," Navalnaya stated.
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Who Was Alexei Navalny?
- Navalny was an open critic of the present Russian President Vladimir Putin
- He staged massive anti-Kremlin protests, accusing Putin of corruption
- Navalny was serving a 19-year sentence
- He died in the Arctic penal colony in February 2024
- Authorities informed that he died naturally
- Navalny was poisoned in 2020 too
- He was arrested after returning from Germany