Russia, Navalny and the Uses of Poison in State-Sponsored Assassinations

(Brett Edwards and Luca Trenta – RUSI) ‘We have been pursuing the truth on this since Alexei died in prison.’ In February 2026, almost two years to the day after Alexei Navalny’s death in a Russian prison, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper revealed that the Russia dissident did not die of natural causes. Based on analysis conducted by European laboratories, the France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK concluded that Navalny had been poisoned by the lethal toxin Epibatidine. Epibatidine is a powerful poison, produced in nature by only a few closely related South American dart frog species – but synthetic versions of this toxin have a long history in pharmaceutical research. The European governments’ statement condemned Russia for a breach of international law and disregard of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Both Cooper and UK Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel called for action against Russia. While the specifics of this call for action have, so far, remained vague, the European governments’ reaction points to the international community’s sense of repugnance towards poisons. Poisons have been and remain a particularly controversial and hideous weapon, but one states have used – and will likely continue to use – against their enemies. State use of poisons in assassinations are not likely to go away. – Russia, Navalny and the Uses of Poison in State-Sponsored Assassinations | Royal United Services Institute