Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to face questions from broadcasters after Britain blamed the Kremlin for killing Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Ms Cooper will tour broadcast studios on Sunday morning, following a joint announcement by the UK and four allies – Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands – that Mr Navalny was likely poisoned using a dart frog toxin.
The Foreign Office and its allies made the announcement two years after Mr Navalny's death in a Siberian penal colony. Analysis of samples from his body found no innocent explanation for the presence of Epibatidine, a toxin produced by wild dart frogs in South America. The Russian authorities have strenuously denied any involvement.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Ms Cooper said: 'Only the Russian Government had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin against Alexei Navalny during his imprisonment in Russia.' She also met with Mr Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who announced her husband's death at the same conference in 2024.
Writing in The Sunday Mirror, Ms Cooper added: 'By using this form of poison the Russian state demonstrated the despicable tools it has at its disposal and the overwhelming fear it has of political opposition.' She warned of Russian aggression, including hybrid threats, cyber attacks, sabotage, and disinformation, stating: 'The UK will not sit back and tolerate Russia's insidious behaviour.'
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer insisted the UK would continue to pressure Russia over its use of chemical and biological weapons, paying tribute to Mr Navalny's 'huge courage in the face of tyranny'. A joint statement by the five nations said: 'Russia's repeated disregard for international law and the Chemical Weapons Convention is clear,' pointing to the 2020 Novichok poisoning attempt and the 2018 Salisbury poisonings.
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel responded: 'These appalling findings confirm what we have long suspected: Alexei Navalny was murdered for daring to speak out against Putin's barbaric regime.' She is due to speak at the Munich conference on Sunday.
