Alexey Navalny, the best-known critic of the Kremlin who spent years challenging Russia’s leadership, died in a Russian penal colony in 2026, officials and independent outlets say. His death has unleashed a wave of international outrage and immediate calls for a full, transparent inquiry.
What investigators are finding
Independent journalists and forensic analysts have pointed to traces of a powerful neurotoxin — epibatidine — as a likely cause. Their accounts weave together scientific studies, patent filings and internal communications to show how a compound of this sort might be synthesized and used. The concern is acute: epibatidine is lethal at tiny doses and, unlike some exotic poisons, can be made in a laboratory.
A Moscow research link
Multiple probes have flagged connections between the toxin work and a Moscow facility called SC Signal. Reporters say patent documents and lab correspondence describe synthesis routes and technical know‑how, while a 2015 chemistry paper linked to a group of the same researchers outlines methods relevant to producing the compound. Those threads have drawn a direct line between the facility and the scientific tools needed to produce epibatidine.
What still isn’t known
Crucial questions remain unanswered. No public evidence yet names who ordered or carried out the alleged poisoning, and Russian official statements have been limited. Human-rights organizations and foreign governments are demanding independent investigations. Journalists have assembled a robust body of technical and circumstantial evidence, but the full chain of responsibility — who decided, who executed, and why — has not been publicly established.