On second anniversary of his death, Kremlin rejects claim opposition leader Navalny was poisoned

On Mon, Oct 30, 2023, the Kremlin dismissed as "baseless" an assessment by five European countries concerning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The European nations reported that Navalny died from poisoning by a rare toxin while imprisoned in an Arctic facility two years ago.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated, "We naturally do not accept such accusations. We disagree with them. We consider them biased and baseless," during a daily briefing.

The report, released by Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, indicated that Navalny was poisoned with epibatidine, a toxin from an Ecuadoran dart frog. The European countries identified Russia as the prime suspect.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio remarked that the report is "very troubling." Rubio noted that although the US did not join the European-led initiative, it "doesn't mean we disagree with the outcome." He highlighted that the US has not disputed the findings and acknowledged the gravity of the situation.

Britain is considering "increasing sanctions" against Russia as a result of the report. The British Foreign Office stated, "only the Russian state had the means, motive, and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin." The Foreign Secretary mentioned continued considerations for coordinated actions, including increased sanctions on Russia.

Laboratory analyses confirmed the presence of epibatidine in samples from Navalny's body. Experts have noted that this toxin can be synthetically produced. The European countries concluded that, given the toxicity and symptoms, poisoning was the likely cause of death.

Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnya, expressed that it was now "science proven" that her husband was murdered. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot paid tribute to Navalny and commented on the findings related to the use of biological weapons.

Based on reporting by Africanews.