What is the ‘dart frog’ toxin, said to be linked to Alexey Navalny’s death?

Al JazeeraEN 4 min read 100% complete by Al Jazeera StaffFebruary 15, 2026 at 09:23 AM

AI Summary

long article 4 min

Five European countries (UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands) allege that Russia poisoned Alexey Navalny, a Kremlin critic, leading to his death in an Arctic penal colony in February 2024. The countries claim that analyses of samples from Navalny's body revealed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs native to South America. They assert that this finding contradicts Russia's claim that Navalny died of natural causes after a walk. The European nations are calling for Russia to be held accountable for violating international conventions regarding chemical and biological weapons. It remains unclear how the European allies obtained the samples from Navalny's body.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

South America ×230% Human Rights Watch ×235% Sergei Skripal 40% Vladimir Putin 50% Netherlands 70% United Kingdom ×270% France 70% Germany 70% Sweden 70% Russia ×690% Alexey Navalny ×795%

Keywords

alexey navalny 100% poison dart frog toxin 90% poisoning 80% russia 80% epibatidine 70% chemical weapons convention 60% arctic penal colony 50% neurotoxin 40% european countries 40%