Joint Statement by the UK, Sweden, France, Germany and The Netherlands on Alexei Navalny’s death

The UK, Sweden, France, Germany and The Netherlands are confident that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a lethal toxin. 

This is the conclusion of our Governments based on analyses of samples from Alexei Navalny. These analyses have conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine. 

Epibatidine is a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America. It is not found naturally in Russia. 

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. Navalny died while held in prison, meaning Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to administer this poison to him. 

Russia’s repeated disregard for international law and the Chemical Weapons Convention is clear. 

In August 2020 the UK, Sweden, France, Germany, The Netherlands and partners condemned Russia’s use of novichok to poison Alexei Navalny. 

This followed Russia’s use of novichok in Salisbury in 2018, which led to the tragic death of a British woman, Dawn Sturgess. 

In both cases, only the Russian state had the combined means, motive and disregard for international law to carry out the attacks. 

These latest findings once again underline the need to hold Russia accountable for its repeated violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention and, in this instance, the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. 

Our Permanent Representatives to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have written today to the Director General to inform him of this Russian breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. 

We are further concerned that Russia did not destroy all of its chemical weapons. 

We and our partners will make use of all policy levers at our disposal to continue to hold Russia to account. 

Agreed by the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden and the UK.