International authorities have determined that the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was caused by the nerve agent epibatidine, a substance classified as a chemical weapon. The announcement was made Saturday by the British government and its partners.
The findings point to epibatidine as the cause of Navalny’s death.
Officials stated that the “barbaric” act could only have been carried out by the government of Vladimir Putin.
The method of administering the poison to Navalny remains unclear. The opposition politician died in a Siberian penal colony on or around February 17, 2024, nearly two years ago.
Epibatidine is a compound that is 200 times more potent than morphine. The substance has historically been used by Indigenous communities in South America to poison the tips of hunting darts fired from blowguns.
Címlapkép forrása: Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
