The five countries stated in a joint announcement on Saturday that poisoning was “highly likely the cause of his death.” According to British officials, scientists from Porton Down, the U.K.’s top secret laboratory, were crucial to the conclusions.
Navalny, a persistent adversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was filmed at a court hearing the day before his death, appearing cheerful and making jokes.
The U.K. described the circumstances of Navalny’s death as “brutal and barbaric” in a separate statement on Saturday.
Representatives from the five countries have notified the director general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons about the alleged Russian violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The U.K. noted that Navalny’s death is part of Russia’s “alarming pattern,” referencing the use of the Novichok chemical agent in the U.K. in 2018, which resulted in the death of a British woman, and the “frequent use of chemical weapons” by Russian forces in Ukraine.
There was no immediate comment from Russia’s foreign ministry.
This article has been updated.
Leave a Reply