UK seeks action against Russia over Navalny poisoning claims

BBC :

The United Kingdom has said it wants action to be taken following findings that Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny died after being poisoned, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Sunday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Cooper said European laboratory tests indicated Navalny was killed using a rare toxin derived from dart frogs, adding that the evidence pointed to a breach of international chemical weapons rules.

Navalny, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died in a Siberian prison in 2024 while serving a sentence that Western governments and his supporters had described as politically motivated. Russian authorities have previously said he died of natural causes.

Cooper said the UK and its allies had been pursuing the circumstances surrounding Navalny’s death since it occurred and were now seeking accountability through international mechanisms.

She said a group of European ministers had reported the findings to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for further action.

Asked about possible steps, Cooper said Britain would continue to consider coordinated measures with its allies, including sanctions against Russia, as part of its broader response to Moscow’s actions, including the war in Ukraine.

Russia’s embassy in London has denied any involvement in Navalny’s death and rejected the poisoning allegations, describing them as unfounded.

The issue has renewed calls within the UK for tougher measures against Russia, with opposition figures also urging stronger enforcement of existing sanctions.