Poisoning of Alexei Navalny

Lore & Background

Alexei Navalny had previously been attacked with chemical substances. On 27 April 2017, he was sprayed with brilliant green dye, possibly mixed with other components, outside his office, losing 80 percent of the sight in his right eye; he alleged the attacker had ties to a State Duma deputy speaker and accused the Kremlin of orchestrating the attack. In July 2019, after arrest and imprisonment, he was hospitalized with severe damage to his eyes and skin, diagnosed with an allergic reaction, though his personal doctor disputed this and suggested undetermined chemicals. In the days leading up to the August 2020 poisoning, Navalny had been publishing videos supporting the 2020 Belarusian protests and had written that a similar 'revolution' would happen in Russia. He was on a work trip in Siberia, reportedly carrying out an investigation. It is assumed the poisoning was a politically motivated attack as 'punishment' for his opposition work, with experts doubting Novichok would be used by anyone other than a state-sponsored agent. The Kremlin denied involvement, calling accusations 'utterly unfounded' and 'insulting', and Russian prosecutors refused to open a criminal investigation, claiming no sign of a crime.

Reader's Guide

The significance of the poisoning lies in its confirmation by five OPCW-certified laboratories, which found a new type of Novichok not on the Chemical Weapons Convention's controlled list in Navalny's blood, urine, skin samples, and water bottle. The EU and UK imposed sanctions on the director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), five other senior officials, and the State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology, stating the poisoning was possible only with the consent of the Presidential Executive Office and FSB participation. An investigation by Bellingcat and The Insider implicated FSB agents. The Kremlin denied involvement and alleged Navalny worked for the CIA. The incident drew parallels to previous suspected poisonings of journalists and activists, such as Anna Politkovskaya and Pyotr Verzilov. Navalny was evacuated to Berlin's Charité hospital, where he was placed in an induced coma, later improved, and discharged on 22 September 2020. The article notes that doctors in Omsk initially found no traces of poison and disputed the cholinesterase inhibitor finding, while German doctors confirmed it.

Did You Know?

• Navalny was poisoned with a new type of Novichok not included in the Chemical Weapons Convention's list of controlled chemicals.
• Five OPCW-certified laboratories confirmed the presence of the Novichok nerve agent in Navalny's samples.
• The EU and UK imposed sanctions on the FSB director and five other senior Russian officials over the poisoning.
• Navalny had previously been attacked with brilliant green dye in 2017, losing 80% of the sight in his right eye.