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What is the "poison frog toxin" being linked to Navalny's death?

2026-02-15 19:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

What is the "poison frog toxin" being linked to Navalny's death?

Five European countries, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands, issued a joint statement on Saturday, according to which laboratory analyses of samples from the body of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny have revealed the presence of a very powerful toxin commonly found in poison dart frogs in South America.

European authorities said the substance, epibatidine, is not found naturally in Russia or other European environments, suggesting he was poisoned separately while in a penal colony in the Arctic.

What is epibatidine?

Epibatidine is an extremely potent neurotoxin secreted by small poison dart frogs in tropical rain forests of South America (e.g. Ecuador).

This substance is more potent than morphine, with effects that inhibit the normal function of nerve signals, leading to muscle paralysis, respiratory paralysis, and potentially death due to lack of air absorption.

According to experts, the presence of this toxin in the blood usually indicates intentional administration, not accidental exposure.

How does the toxin work?

Epibatidine acts on the nervous system by blocking nicotinic receptors, which stops the signals that allow muscles to contract normally. This causes paralysis and serious breathing difficulties, an effect that can be fatal in very small doses.

European states said the finding showed Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to use the toxin against Navalny during his imprisonment in Russia. They announced plans to refer the case to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons as a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Russia has denied these allegations, calling them "Western propaganda" and claiming that Navalny died of natural causes. /CNA





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