UK condemns Russia’s use of ‘despicable tools’, chemical weapons

LONDON:The UK government has condemned Russia’s use of “despicable tools” such as a lethal frog toxin reportedly deployed against Alexei Navalny, a prominent Russian activist, who died in a Siberian prison two years ago.

Navalny died in February 2024 during his imprisonment in a Russian penal colony in Siberia.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said that consistent and collaborative laboratory testing work with European allies confirmed that the deadly toxin found in the skin of Ecuador dart frogs, namely epibatidine, was discovered in samples from Navalny’s body and “highly likely” resulted in his death. The UK said it has informed the Organisation on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of Russia’s “blatant breach” of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

“Since Yulia Navalnaya announced the loss of her husband here in Munich two years ago, the UK has pursued the truth of Alexei Navalny’s death with fierce determination,” said Cooper.