* William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice,” Act II, Scene 2.

It may take a while. But if honest people persevere, Shakespeare’s prediction nearly always reestablishes its wisdom.

In this case, the true circumstances surrounding the sudden and mysterious death of Russian anti-corruption dissident Aleksei Navalny in February of 2024 have finally been established.

Following his death, Russia authorities delayed the return of Navalny’s body to his parents (his wife and children already then living in exile). But when the family was finally able to bury him, they also managed to smuggle biological samples out of Russia. And for two years, that critical evidence has been the subject of intense analysis by experts from five European countries: the UK, Sweden, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Their finding — that the cause of Navalny’s death was poisoning by means of a toxin known as epibatidine, derived from poison dart frogs native to South America and considered one of the deadliest on earth — was announced today by his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who posted on social media:

“I was certain from the first day that my husband had been poisoned, but now there is proof: Putin killed Aleksei with a chemical weapon. I am grateful to the European states for the meticulous work they carried out over two years and for uncovering the truth. Vladimir Putin is a murderer. He must be held accountable for all his crimes.” [Rikard Jozwiak, RFE/RL, February 14, 2026.]

The official Russian autopsy report stated that hypertension and other diseases had caused a heartbeat disorder leading to Navalny’s death. But Aleksandr Polupan, an anesthesiologist-resuscitator, said in an interview with Current Time that it had been clear even before the European study that “Navalny had been murdered and that he did not die [a] natural death.” Polupan added:

“All that we know about [Navalny’s] abdominal pain, vomiting, and seizures, I don’t see any contradictions in [how the poison works]. Given that independent laboratories confirmed [the presence] of the same molecule, I’d say there’s no need to guess much further.” [Id.]

Following the announcement on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said that “there is a high possibility that Russia killed Navalny by poison. I think it’s a serious offense, and I hope that it will [show] the world that Russia is playing a dirty game.” [Id.]

And the joint statement by the five nations concluded:

“Russia claimed that Navalny died of natural causes. But given the toxicity of epibatidine and reported symptoms, poisoning was highly likely the cause of his death. Navalny died while held in prison, meaning Russia had the means, motive, and opportunity to administer this poison to him.” [Id.]

*. *. *

Any court or jury would be likely to consider the preponderance of evidence in Navalny’s case sufficient to warrant a conviction. But what is this likely to mean for Vladimir Putin?

Tragically, nothing. The Kremlin, which has not yet commented on the finding, will ultimately issue a standard denial. Perhaps the International Criminal Court will see fit to consider charging Putin; but the ICC already has an outstanding warrant against him for war crimes in connection with the kidnapping of thousands of Ukrainian children, which has only served to limit his international travel to friendly countries that agree not to arrest him. In Putin’s world, it is nothing more than a slight inconvenience.

Monday will mark the second anniversary of Navalny’s death in a Siberian prison camp. What, if anything, Yulia Navalnaya will choose to do with this new information is not yet known. But the verification of her suspicions might at least provide a measure of closure for the family and friends of a good man taken too soon.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/14/26