Navalny Was Poisoned With Frog Toxin, European Governments Say

Traces of the toxin were found in the body of the Russian dissident Aleksei A. Navalny, who died in prison two years ago, five governments said in a joint statement.Aleksei A. Navalny and his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, in a tan coat, in 2020 at a demonstration in Moscow.Credit...Kirill Kudryavtsev/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesFeb. 14, 2026, 9:04 a.m. ETAleksei A. Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died in prison two years ago, was most likely poisoned by a toxin found in a South American frog, the Foreign Ministries of Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said on Saturday in a joint statement.Samples taken from Mr. Navalny’s body showed the presence of a toxic substance, epibatidine, the statement said.“Epibatidine is a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America. It is not found naturally in Russia,” the statement said.The findings directly challenge the official account from the Russian authorities, who said he died of natural causes. Mr. Navalny was the Russian government’s most prominent political opponent when he died in a maximum-security prison in the Russian Arctic in 2024.Yulia Navalnaya, Mr. Navalny’s wife, speaking to reporters at the Munich Security Conference, described the report as validation of the Navalny team’s longstanding assertion that Mr. Putin was personally responsible for Mr. Navalny’s death.“I want to repeat: Vladimir Putin killed my husband, Aleksei Navalny, using a chemical weapon,” she said. “Of course, it’s not news that Vladimir Putin is a killer, but now we have yet another direct piece of proof.”This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.Lynsey Chutel is a Times reporter based in London who covers breaking news in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.Anton Troianovski writes about American foreign policy and national security for The Times from Washington. He was previously a foreign correspondent based in Moscow and Berlin.SKIP Site IndexNewsHome PageU.S.WorldPoliticsNew YorkEducationSportsBusinessTechScienceWeatherThe Great ReadObituariesHeadwayVisual InvestigationsThe MagazineArtsBook ReviewBest Sellers Book ListDanceMoviesMusicPop CultureTelevisionTheaterVisual ArtsLifestyleHealthWellFoodRestaurant ReviewsLoveTravelStyleFashionReal EstateT MagazineOpinionToday's OpinionColumnistsEditorialsGuest EssaysOp-DocsLettersSunday OpinionOpinion VideoOpinion AudioMoreAudioGamesCookingWirecutterThe AthleticJobsVideoGraphicsTrendingLive EventsCorrectionsReader CenterTimesMachineThe Learning NetworkSchool of The NYTinEducationAccountSubscribeManage My AccountHome DeliveryGift SubscriptionsGroup SubscriptionsGift ArticlesEmail NewslettersNYT LicensingReplica EditionTimes Store