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Five European nations say lab tests confirm Alexei Navalny was poisoned with epibatidine in a Russian prison in 2024. The Kremlin denies it, while Marco Rubio called the report “troubling” and said the US does not dispute the findings.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (February 15) described as “troubling” a report by five European allies accusing Russia of killing Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using a toxin derived from poison dart frogs.
Speaking at a news conference in Bratislava, Rubio said Washington had no reason to dispute the findings.
“We obviously are aware of the report. It's a troubling report. We're aware of that case of Mr. Navalny and certainly… we don't have any reason to question it. We're not disputing. We're not going to do a fight with these countries over it. But it was their report, and they put that out there,” Rubio said.
European allies blame Moscow
In a joint statement issued on Saturday (February 14), Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said laboratory analyses of samples from Navalny’s body “conclusively” confirmed the presence of epibatidine — a powerful toxin found in Ecuadorian poison dart frogs and not naturally occurring in Russia.
The countries said Moscow had the “means, motive and opportunity” to administer the poison while Navalny was imprisoned in an Arctic penal colony.
“Russia claimed that Navalny died of natural causes. But given the toxicity of epibatidine and reported symptoms, poisoning was highly likely the cause of his death,” the statement said.
The findings come nearly two years after Navalny died on February 16, 2024, in a Siberian prison colony while serving a 19-year sentence on extremism and other charges he denied.
Moscow rejects allegations
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied involvement in Navalny’s death.
Russia’s state news agency TASS quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova as dismissing the claims as propaganda.
“Until the test results are available and the formulas for the substances are disclosed, we will comment accordingly. Until then, all such assertions are merely propaganda aimed at diverting attention from pressing Western issues,” Zakharova said.
The Russian embassy in London also rejected the accusation, calling it “a Western propaganda hoax.”
Navalny’s widow: ‘Now there is proof’
Navalny’s death was announced minutes before the opening of the Munich Security Conference in 2024.
His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, addressed the conference at the time and renewed her call for accountability this year.
“I was certain from the first day that my husband had been poisoned, but now there is proof … I am grateful to the European states for the meticulous work they carried out over two years and for uncovering the truth,” she said on social media.
She added on Saturday that it was now “science-proven” that her husband had been murdered.
Kremlin maintains natural causes
The Kremlin has never provided a detailed explanation for Navalny’s death, stating only that he fell ill after a walk in his prison colony and died suddenly.
Putin said in 2024 that Navalny had “passed away.” His death came weeks before Russia’s Presidential election and sparked protests and memorial gatherings across European cities including London, Berlin, Vilnius and Rome.
(With Agencies inputs)
English (US) ·