Russia Accused of Poisoning Navalny with Rare Frog Toxin
Moscow – Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was allegedly murdered using a deadly toxin found in poisonous dart frogs native to South America, according to statements from the UK government and several European nations.
Traces of epibatidine were discovered in Navalny’s body and likely caused his death in a Siberian prison two years ago, the UK Foreign Office stated.
Several allied nations of the UK stated that only Russia possesses the “means, motive and opportunity” to deploy this lethal toxin.
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
The Kremlin dismissed the findings as an “information campaign,” according to the Tass news agency.
What is the Deadly Toxin?
Epibatidine is a natural neurotoxin derived from the skin of Ecuadorian poison dart frogs, according to toxicologist Jill Johnson.
She told BBC Russia that the toxin is “200 times more potent” than morphine.
Epibatidine can be found naturally on poison dart frogs in the wild of South America, as well as being produced in laboratories.
Poison dart frogs kept in captivity do not produce the toxin, and it is not naturally found in Russia, according to the UK and allied European nations.
Species known to secrete the toxin include the Anthony’s poison frog and the Phantasmal poison frog.
Whereas epibatidine has been researched as a pain reliever and used to alleviate painful inflammatory lung conditions, it has not been used clinically due to its toxicity.
How Does the Frog Toxin Work?
This potent chemical compound works on nicotinic receptors in the nervous system, according to Johnson.
By overstimulating nerve receptors, it can cause muscle twitching, paralysis, convulsions, slowed heart rate, respiratory failure, and death, she explained.
Alastair Hay, a professor of environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds, told the PA news agency that the effects can lead to obstructed breathing, and that “anyone poisoned dies from asphyxia.”
The discovery of the toxin in a person’s bloodstream “suggests deliberate administration,” he added.
The toxicity of epibatidine can even be “enhanced by the simultaneous administration of certain other drugs, and these combinations have been studied,” Hay said.
How Rare is This Toxin?
Epibatidine is extremely rare and found only in one geographic region and in very small quantities, according to Johnson.
The poison dart frogs cited by the UK Foreign Office and allied nations are Anthony’s poison frog, a species endemic to Ecuador and Peru.
These frogs produce the toxic chemicals through their diet to create alkaloids—a type of organic compound that creates epibatidine—and accumulate it in their skin. If the frogs’ diet changes, their epibatidine reserves deplete.
“Finding wild frogs in the right place, eating the right diet to produce the right alkaloids, is almost impossible,” Johnson said.
“Here’s a very rare method of human poisoning. The only other known case of epibatidine poisoning that I am aware of was laboratory-based and non-fatal.”
What is Russia’s Response?
European laboratories confirmed that Navalny died from an unspecified toxin, the UK government and its allies stated on Saturday.
Moscow previously claimed that Navalny died of natural causes. Although, Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has consistently maintained that her husband was “murdered” with poison.
The Russian Embassy in London denied Moscow’s involvement in Navalny’s death and described the announcement as “the product of a sick imagination of Western storytellers” and “death propaganda.”
Kremlin spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted by Russian state news agency Tass as saying: “All the talk and statements are an information campaign aimed at diverting attention from the urgent problems of the West.”
At the time of his death, Navalny had been imprisoned for three years and later transferred to a Siberian penal colony.
According to Russian reports, the 47-year-old was briefly walking when he felt unwell, collapsed, and never regained consciousness.
FAQ
- What is epibatidine? It is a potent neurotoxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs native to Ecuador and Peru.
- How potent is epibatidine? It is 200 times more potent than morphine.
- Where is epibatidine found? Naturally in poison dart frogs in South America and can be produced in laboratories.
- What are the symptoms of epibatidine poisoning? Confusion, wheezing, vomiting, tremors, muscle twitching, impaired coordination, agitation, and lethargy.
(nvc/nvc)
