Two Years After Navalny's Death: European Analysis Reinforces Murder Claims
Mourners gathered in Moscow on Monday to mark the second anniversary of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's death in custody, under the shadow of a Kremlin crackdown and just days after a new European analysis reinforced suspicions that he was murdered. Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony on February 16, 2024, while serving a 19-year sentence he believed was politically motivated. His death at age 47 left Russia's opposition leaderless and divided, struggling to build an effective or united front without one of its most visible and charismatic figures.
Mourners Pay Respects Amid Heavy Security Presence
Across Russia, Navalny's supporters paid their respects despite heightened security measures. Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, and his mother-in-law, Alla Abrosimova, were among those laying flowers on his grave at Moscow's Borisovsky Cemetery, where a mound of bouquets rose above heavy snow drifts. Representatives from several European embassies also paid their respects, watched by conspicuously high security presence. Later, a small choir gathered to sing by Navalny's graveside.
Addressing the crowd, Lyudmila Navalnaya restated her belief that her son was killed by Russian authorities, a scenario backed by several European countries in recent days. "We knew that our son did not simply die in prison," she said. "He was murdered." The Kremlin has consistently denied these allegations, maintaining that Navalny died of natural causes.
Flowers were also laid at the memorial to victims of political repression in St. Petersburg, though access to the site was later blocked with temporary fences according to local news reports.
European Nations Present New Poisoning Evidence
The anniversary coincided with the release of a joint statement by five European countries claiming Navalny was poisoned by the Kremlin with a rare and lethal toxin found in poison dart frogs. The foreign ministries of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands announced on Saturday that analysis in European laboratories of samples taken from Navalny's body "conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine." This neurotoxin, secreted by dart frogs in South America, does not occur naturally in Russia.
The joint statement asserted: "Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to administer this poison." In a written tribute to Navalny on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron explicitly linked the Kremlin with the opposition leader's death, writing on social media: "Two years ago, the world learned of the death of Alexei Navalny. I pay tribute to his memory. I said then that I believed his death said everything about the Kremlin's weakness and its fear of any opponent. It is now clear that this death was premeditated."
Moscow has vehemently denied involvement in Navalny's death, with presidential spokespersons stating the politician became unwell after going for a walk. When asked about the European allegations on Monday, a Kremlin spokesperson said: "We do not accept such accusations. We consider them biased and unfounded. In fact, we resolutely reject them."
Navalny's Widow Speaks Out at Munich Conference
Saturday's announcement came as Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany. She stated she had been "certain from the first day" that her husband had been poisoned, "but now there is proof." On social media, she wrote: "Putin killed Alexei with a chemical weapon," describing the Russian leader as "a murderer" who "must be held accountable."
Navalny was previously targeted in a 2020 poisoning with a nerve agent, an attack he blamed on the Kremlin, which always denied involvement. His family and allies fought to have him flown to Germany for treatment and recovery. Five months later, he returned to Russia, where he was immediately arrested and imprisoned for the final three years of his life.
Russia's Opposition Struggles to Unite in Exile
Navalny's closest allies, along with other key members of Russia's opposition, continue their fight from exile. Many have been handed lengthy prison sentences in absentia in Russia and cannot return home. Some have been designated "terrorists and extremists" by authorities, a designation also applied to Navalny in January 2022.
Yet Russia's opposition has failed to form a united front and clear plan of action against the Kremlin. Instead, rival groups have traded accusations that some observers see as efforts to discredit each other and vie for influence.
In one small victory for opposition activists, Europe's leading human rights body, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), announced in late January the creation of a new body—the Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces. This platform is tasked with giving opposition Russians a voice and formal platform to engage European lawmakers.
While heralded as a victory for anti-war Russians, the platform has attracted criticism as its members were not elected democratically. Notably, members of Navalny's anti-corruption organization are absent from the group.
In a statement marking Navalny's death, Russian members of PACE said Navalny's death was "an inevitable link in a chain of systemic crimes by the Kremlin regime against its own citizens and the citizens of foreign states." They added: "Alexei Navalny gave his life for a free Russia. We are obliged to ensure that his death was not in vain."
