Foreign Secretary to face questions after UK blames Kremlin for Navalny death
The UK and its allies pinned the blame for Mr Navalny’s death on the Russian state, adding that he was likely poisoned using a dart frog toxin.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to face questions from broadcasters after Britain blamed the Kremlin for killing Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Ms Cooper will tour broadcast studios on Sunday morning, after the UK and its allies pinned the blame for Mr Navalny’s death on the Russian state, adding that he was likely poisoned using a dart frog toxin.
The Foreign Office, and four of the UK’s allies – Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands – made the announcement two years on from Mr Navalny’s death in a Siberian penal colony.
The Russian authorities have previously strenuously denied any involvement in his death.
But following analysis of samples from his body, the UK and its allies called out Moscow.
They said there was no innocent explanation for the presence of a toxin called Epibatidine – which is produced by wild dart frogs in South America – on Mr Navalny’s body.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Ms Cooper said: “Only the Russian Government had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin against Alexei Navalny during his imprisonment in Russia.”
At the major conference in Germany, the Foreign Secretary also met with Mr Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya, who announced her husband’s death at the gathering in 2024.
Ms Cooper added: “Russia saw Navalny as a threat.
“By using this form of poison the Russian state demonstrated the despicable tools it has at its disposal and the overwhelming fear it has of political opposition.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer meanwhile insisted the UK would continue to pressure Russia over its use of chemical and biological weapons, and paid tribute to Mr Navalny’s “huge courage in the face of tyranny”.
A joint statement by the UK and its allies said: “Russia’s repeated disregard for international law and the Chemical Weapons Convention is clear.”
They pointed to an attempt to poison Mr Navalny with the nerve agent Novichok in 2020, which followed the Salisbury poisonings in 2018.
The five nations said they were “further concerned that Russia did not destroy all of its chemical weapons”.
Their statement added: “We and our partners will make use of all policy levers at our disposal to continue to hold Russia to account.”
Responding to the revelation, shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “These appalling findings confirm what we have long suspected: Alexei Navalny was murdered for daring to speak out against Putin’s barbaric regime.
“This is a horrific reminder of the threat Russia poses to freedom and our way of life. Putin will stop at nothing to undermine our values and those who speak for freedom and democracy. Britain and our allies must stand firmly against Russia’s murderous authoritarianism and stark aggression.”
Dame Priti is due to speak at the Munich conference on Sunday.
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