The mother of the late Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, said Monday that she felt vindicated following a European assessment confirming that her son died from poisoning, as supporters marked two years since his death in prison.
Navalny, known as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest domestic critic, died in February 2024 while serving a 19-year sentence in an Arctic prison colony.
A joint statement issued by Britain, Sweden, France, Germany, and the Netherlands said their analysis of samples from Navalny’s body indicated he had been poisoned with epibatidine, a potent toxin found in poison dart frogs.
“This confirms what we knew from the very beginning. Our son did not simply die in prison, he was murdered,” Lyudmila Navalnaya told reporters at her son’s cemetery in Moscow. She called for accountability, emphasizing that justice should prevail in Russia.
The Kremlin has not commented on the European statement but has consistently denied any involvement in Navalny’s death.
Dozens of supporters and foreign diplomats visited his grave Monday, some wearing masks or scarves. Russian authorities had previously designated Navalny and his anti-corruption organisation “extremist,” warning that public mention of them could result in prosecution.
