"European leaders have concluded that the Russian politician Alexei Navalny died in a Russian prison in 2024 because he “was poisoned with a lethal toxin,” epibatidine.
Only the Russian Government had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin against Alexei Navalny during his imprisonment in Russia, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says in a statement accompanying the news on Feb. 14.
(The dying in prison thing could only be the Russians is like saying only the Americans could kill Epstein in prison. Perhaps Yvette needs to see more James Bond and Mission Impossible movies. - rjs)
Russia has denied the allegation and says Navalny died of natural causes."
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"In a social media post, Dan Kaszeta, a security expert based in the UK, linked to a Russian-language paper describing synthesis of the compound starting from methyl vinyl ketone. Another method uses the pyridine derivative 6-chloronicotinaldehyde, which is sold for less than $10/g. Epibatidine itself is also a readily available reagent; Sigma Aldrich offers 5 grams ready to ship for $241."
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Seems like anybody could do this, da?
The five countries said they would refer the matter to the Organisation (sp?) for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) which implements the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The OPCW considers any chemical “used to cause intentional death or harm through its toxic properties” a chemical weapon, whether it is scheduled or not.
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The last time they did this, they were sure is was Novichok, and the OPCW found the company that made the substance for the CIA in the 1990s and after that announcement the story quietly died. Now we're to believe it's frogs? Can we wait until the OPCW has had a look at it please? Given the past that seems prudent.
