Published on
03/07/2026 - 16:07 GMT+2
EU member states agreed on Friday to sanction six Russian nationals linked to the chemical substance suspected of killing Russian dissident Alexei Navalny during his detention in a penal colony.
Those targeted are scientists and researchers involved in Russia's military chemical weapons programme, most notably in the development of epibatidine, traces of which were found on Navalny's body after his death in February 2024.
Navalny was Russia's most prominent opposition leader and anti-corruption activist. He was arrested in 2021 on fraud charges after returning to Russia following a failed poisoning attempt in 2020; further extremism-related charges followed later that year.
