Yulia Navalnaya claims that Alexei Navalny's death has already been 'scientifically proven' and points the finger at Russia.

 

Yulia Navalnaya (REUTERS/Abdul Saboor/Archivo

Navalny's widow says his assassination is now scientifically proven after European toxin findings

**MUNICH, Germany (IPU NEWS)** — **Yulia Navalnaya**, the widow of Russian opposition leader **Alexéi Navalny**, said Saturday that her husband’s death in a Russian prison two years ago has now been **scientifically confirmed as an assassination**, following new findings from five European countries that a rare toxic agent was used against him. ([infobae][1])

At the **Munich Security Conference**, foreign ministers from the **United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands** released a **joint statement** saying laboratory tests detected **epibatidine** — a lethal neurotoxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs in South America — in samples from Navalny’s body. The toxin is not native to Russia and is widely believed to have been administered deliberately, the statement said. ([opb][2])

“The assassination of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison in 2024 is now a scientifically proven fact,” Navalnaya said, echoing her accusations against the Kremlin. "Two years ago I came here and said it was Vladimir Putin who killed my husband. At the time it was just words. Today those words have become scientifically proven facts." ([euronews][3])

Una persona deposita flores en la tumba del líder de la oposición rusa Alexei Navalny mientras conmemora el primer aniversario de su muerte en un cementerio de Moscú, Rusia, el 16 de febrero de 2025 (REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Archivo)

European governments accuse Russia

The foreign ministries said that **Russia had the means, motivation and opportunity** to carry out the poisoning and that the evidence suggests the toxin was deliberately used to silence Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's most vocal critics. They announced they are referring the matter to the **Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)** for further investigation and potential action under international law. ([opb][2])

British Foreign Secretary **Yvette Cooper** said the use of such a toxin “demonstrates the despicable tools” available to those who fear political opposition, and asserted that the findings mark a breach of international conventions. ([khsu.org][4])

Una persona con un cartel que dice "Stop Putin" en una marcha por Navalny en Budapest, Hungría, el 23 de octubre pasado (REUTERS/Marton Monus/Archivo)

Navalny, who led mass anti-Kremlin protests and exposed government corruption, died in **February 2024** while serving a 19-year prison sentence widely seen as politically motivated. Russian authorities had maintained that he died of natural causes. ([opb][2])

Navalny's death drew global condemnation at the time, and this new scientific affirmation adds to longstanding concerns about alleged attempts by Russian authorities to silence critics through poisoning. The OPCW referral highlights broader international alarm over the use of chemical agents in political contexts. ([opb][2])