In a joint statement, the governments of the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden have declared that Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was poisoned, following his death in a Siberian prison camp in February 2024. Initially, Russian authorities claimed that his death was due to natural causes, but the joint statement from the five European nations disputes this claim by presenting evidence of poisoning. They assert that the toxin, epibatidine, was found in Navalny's body, which is sourced from poison frogs native to South and Central America and is not naturally occurring in Russia.

The statements from the foreign ministers of these five nations emphasize that Navalny's death while imprisoned implicates the Russian state, as they assert that Russia possessed the means, motive, and opportunity to administer such a lethal substance. This declaration escalates tensions between these European nations and Russia, particularly in light of existing geopolitical strains and ongoing discussions about human rights violations within the Russian political system.

This situation raises significant implications for international relations, as the coordinated response from these nations may lead to more robust sanctions against Russia or drive discussions in international forums concerning accountability for political assassinations and the treatment of dissidents. As the world watches the response to this tragic event, it highlights ongoing concerns over political repression and the safety of opposition figures in authoritarian regimes.