Experts believe the deadly toxin that allegedly killed Russian dissident Alexei Navalny in February 2024 was likely created in a lab rather than extracted from wild South American poison dart frogs, as claimed by multiple European nations. Five European countrieslast week said tests confirmed that Navalny was poisoned with epibatidine, a powerful toxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs native to South America, accusing the Russian state of responsibility.
While these frogs can be easily purchased in South American markets or legally exported with permits, scientists say making a deadly poison from actual frogs would be impractical. Ivan Lozano, director of Tesoros de Colombia, explained that it would take "an enormous number of frogs" to create a lethal dose for humans, making it virtually impossible to gather enough for this purpose.
