What is Ecuadorian dart frog poison that Russia allegedly used to kill Alexei Navalny? Explained

Five European allies on Saturday released a joint statement accusing Russia of killing Kremlin critic and prominent opponent of President Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, using a toxin from poison dart frogs while he was held in a Russian penal colony in Siberia two years ago.

In the joint statement, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said analyses of samples from Navalny’s body confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America, as per Reuters.

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According to the United Kingdom, only the Russian state had the means, motive, and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin to target Navalny during his imprisonment.

Navalny died under unexplained circumstances in a Siberian prison camp on 16 February in 2024 after being convicted of extremism and other charges, all of which he denied.

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

We and our partners will make use of all policy levers at our disposal to continue to hold Russia to account. pic.twitter.com/amXI9bx9cp

— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) February 14, 2026

Epibatidine: One of the deadliest poisons on earth

The deadly toxin, found in samples from Alexei Navalny’s body, is found in the skin of Ecuador dart frogs (epibatidine), according to the joint statement.

Epibatidine can be found naturally in dart frogs in the wild in South America. Dart frogs in captivity do not produce this toxin, and it is not found naturally in Russia.

The UK claims that Russia has brazenly developed and deployed this poison in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Russia dismisses the claim as propaganda

The Russian government dismissed the allegations as “a Western propaganda hoax,” according to the TASS news agency.
Calling the claim ‘nonsense’, the Russian embassy in London stated, “One must ask what kind of person would believe this nonsense about a frog.” It said that Russia is accustomed to Western fabulists’ feeble-mindedness.

The purpose of this spectacle [accusing Russia of poisoning Alexei Navalny] is clear: to revive waning anti-Russian fervour within Western societies. If there is no pretext, one is invented.

We are accustomed to Western fabulists’ feeble-mindedness.https://t.co/EDkToafRgg pic.twitter.com/37dDRDBcZw

— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) February 14, 2026

Vladimir Putin is a murderer, says Navalny’s wife

Citing findings by the European scientists, Yulia Navalnaya claimed that Vladimir Putin is a murderer. She alleged that her late husband, Navalny, was killed using a highly lethal neurotoxin. Navalnaya further called for accountability, stating that Putin “must be held accountable for all his crimes.”

In a public statement, Navalnaya said researchers from five European countries had concluded that Navalny was poisoned with epibatidine. She noted that the toxin occurs naturally on the skin of the Ecuadorian dart frog and can cause paralysis, respiratory failure, and death.

Scientists from five European countries have established: my husband, Alexei Navalny, was poisoned with epibatidine — a neurotoxin, one of the deadliest poisons on earth. In nature, this poison can be found on the skin of the Ecuadorian dart frog. It causes paralysis, respiratory… pic.twitter.com/doHGgSgzMA

— Yulia Navalnaya (@yulia_navalnaya) February 14, 2026

Navalnaya said she had believed from the outset that her husband had been poisoned but now she has the proof.

She also expressed gratitude to the European states involved in the investigation for their “meticulous work” over two years for finding the alleged cause of death.

Today, the UK and our partners have confirmed Alexei Navalny was poisoned with an illegal toxin.

Only the Russian government had the means, the motive and the opportunity. pic.twitter.com/jD0Sfywx2e

— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) February 14, 2026