A mother of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has insisted she feels vindicated by European assessments that her son was poisoned while serving a prison sentence, as Russia’s government rejected these claims. The Trump administration echoed the Europeans’ stance without raising doubts, and Navalny’s supporters marked two years since his passing.
Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s most formidable critic within Russia, died in an Arctic penal colony last February, under what has been labeled a 19-year sentence.
European nations, including Britain, Sweden, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, issued a joint statement on Saturday asserting that Navalny was poisoned with epibatidine—a toxin found in poison dart frogs—using samples from his body. They based their assessment on these findings, according to the statement.
“Indeed, this confirms what we have known all along,” said Lyudmila Navalnaya, Alexey’s mother and a fierce critic of Putin. “Our son was not merely killed in prison; he was murdered.” She expressed hope that justice would prevail over time. “We will find out who is responsible,” she stated, emphasizing the desire for this to occur within her country.
The Kremlin rebutted these claims outright, stating, “We do not accept such accusations.” Deputy Spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed them as biased and unfounded.
Navalny’s death has been shrouded in secrecy. Russian authorities labeled Navalny’s anti-corruption movement “extremist,” criminalizing anyone who mentions his name or his foundation. Despite this, Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Alexey, revealed that he was told by investigators that he died from a combination of various ailments and finally succumbed to an irregular heartbeat.
The European nations contended that Russia’s explanation—that Navalny had naturally passed away—was false given the toxin’s toxicity and symptoms reported. Additionally, navalny remained imprisoned, making it plausible for the Russian state to have administered the poison against him.
Speaking from a quick stop in Slovakia, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his administration did not dispute the report’s findings but added that the United States did not join the initiative out of concern over potential controversy with other countries.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper remarked in a statement: “Russia viewed Navalny as a threat and used this form of poison to demonstrate its fear of political opposition.” The UK’s foreign office maintained Russia bore full responsibility for his death, asserting only state actors had the means, motive, and opportunity to employ such lethal toxins.
Dozens gathered early Monday at Alexey Navalny’s grave site. Many wore masks or scarves as they visited him. This poignant moment underscored the ongoing significance of Navalny’s work against corruption and Putin’s regime despite his untimely demise in prison.
Navalny had long fought for transparency and accountability, organizing massive anti-Kremlin protests. In 2020, he narrowly survived a poisoning incident with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok while traveling from Moscow to Siberia. He eventually recovered after lengthy treatment in Germany, where he told CBS News’ Lesley Stahl that this act was an assassination attempt ordered by Putin.
Navalny returned to Moscow in 2021, fully aware of his impending arrest and imprisonment. Convicted three times for various charges—dismissed as politically motivated—he served nearly a decade before being imprisoned again almost three years later in the Arctic colony where he died last February.
Kerry Breen contributed to this report.