They Say Putin Killed Navalny With Frog Poison. Yes, Actual Frog Poison.
By: Abudu Olalekan
Five European nations just revealed something startling. Two years have passed since Alexei Navalny died. Out of the blue, they point to a new culprit. This time it is not Novichok. It is not polonium either. The substance? Epibatidine. Found in poison dart frogs. A surprise twist nobody saw coming. Frogs from South America, yes – those tiny ones with bright colors that flicker across TV screens while someone narrates their danger. You glance, nod slightly, file it under distant facts. Then one day, behind gray walls far north, there they are, real and out of place.
A message dropped on Saturday. From London, Stockholm, Paris, Berlin, The Hague – one more round of familiar names pointing fingers at Moscow. Their look into Navalny’s remains, using bits they somehow obtained, showed clear traces of that rare frog venom. What stands out? This poison does not grow wild anywhere across Russian soil. Floating through air? Hidden in food? Left on paper he touched? Yet here it sits, inside Navalny, a poison without a path. Found where it should never be.
Fine, that’s what people claim. Put right in place by Russia’s government.
“Only the Russian state had the combined means, motive and disregard for international law,” the statement read. Which is diplomatic speak for “yeah, Putin definitely did this.”
Marco Rubio, America’s Secretary of State, was in Slovakia when journalists cornered him. He shrugged. “We have no reason to dispute what they found,” he said. Called it a “troubling report.” That’s State Department language for “looks really bad, but we’re not trying to start World War III over it today.”
Of course Moscow acted exactly how everyone expected. Right away, Foreign Ministry voice Maria Zakharova labeled it fake news. From London, Russia’s diplomats scoffed at what they saw as staged drama. Up came the old Skripal matter again, tossed out like proof of noise without facts. In their view, Western powers keep digging for reasons to stir anger toward Russia. When real triggers fail, imagination fills the gap.
A question went to the Kremlin, sent by Reportersroom. No reply has come yet. What isn’t said tells its own story.
Weeks passed since the event unfolded at the Munich Security Conference. Almost poetic, isn’t it? That exact city where Yulia Navalnaya once stepped onto the stage – widow of Navalny – two winters before. Her voice trembling. The crowd rising without hesitation. On Saturday, her silhouette returned. Grief reshaped, anger unchanged.
“I was certain from day one that my husband had been poisoned,” she said. “Now there’s proof: Putin killed Alexey with a chemical weapon.”
She’d posted on X earlier that day: “Vladimir Putin is a murderer. He must be held accountable.” Direct.
Out in the freezing prison camp, when Navalny stopped breathing, state workers said he’d gotten dizzy following a stroll. Sudden drop to the ground – nothing unusual, they insisted. Back in 2021, guards locked him up upon his return from Germany, where doctors fought to stabilize him after Novichok exposure. The poison itself came from old Soviet labs. Earlier probing by Reportersroom alongside Bellingcat tracked the earlier assault straight to a secretive FSB strike team. Floating behind Navalny for more than thirty-six months, shadows watched each step. What came out of Putin’s mouth when questioned? A shrug – claiming if the state aimed to end him, it would’ve happened already. Charming logic, really.
Even knowing the danger, Navalny moved forward anyway. In a conversation with Reportersroom during 2018, he spoke of facing things head-on – aware of every consequence. Still, stepping away was never his plan. My country matters too much, he insisted at one point. Civil liberties? Those are non-negotiable
On Saturday, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper spoke out about Russia viewing Navalny as dangerous. That claim came straight from her official comment. The method of poisoning showed what lengths are used, she said. A tool like that speaks volumes on its own. Horrific fits just as well. Unspeakable could also do. One thing remains clear – actions speak louder than words.
A question came up in Munich. Would Putin target Zelensky with poison, someone wondered. His reply was quick, almost dismissive. Thinking of himself isn’t his habit, he explained. Losses weigh heavier than personal risk, he pointed out. Thousands gone, resistance still stands. One voice among many holding ground. Right now, war fills every thought. Not hypothetical dangers. An actual invasion shapes each day.
Five countries in Europe claim they sent a letter to the group watching chemical weapons, pointing fingers at Russia for breaking the rules on such arms. Big deal stuff. Breaking global agreements like that. Could fall under acts banned during conflict.
What seemed inevitable has already begun – Navalny’s passing turned into a tool of power. Today science joins the mix. A toxin from tiny frogs named epibatidine leads the way. Hard to believe? Yet here we are. Yet here we are, speaking of Russia. Reality bends beyond imagination there – often with deadly results.
Still, the Kremlin denies everything. Meanwhile, Western nations keep speaking out against it. Grieving goes on for Navalny’s loved ones. What about everyone else? A frozen cell, far north, holds a dead man. From deep within tropical forests, a small frog carries poison. The creature never travels. Yet its venom reaches across continents. Distance means nothing to chemistry. A life ends quietly, halfway around the world from where it began. Strange how things connect. Not through design – just chance, timing, and molecules moving silently through blood.
Stories like this never truly finish. Reportersroom stays on it, watching how things twist further. What comes next often feels heavier than what came before. A new chapter might be taking shape right now – maybe in a lab, maybe behind bars, perhaps in a quiet room where decisions are made without noise.
