The UK is mulling fresh sanctions against Moscow after Britain and four European allies concluded that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny most likely died from poisoning arranged by the Kremlin, The Guardian reported. 

The UK Foreign Office, alongside Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands, announced on Saturday that analysis of samples from Navalny’s body indicated the presence of epibatidine, a toxin associated with South American dart frogs. The officials believe Navalny could not have accidentally ingested the toxin in prison because it is not to be found in Russia, the news agency reported. 

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the allegation as “deeply serious” and the product of two years of evidence gathering, arguing that only the Russian state had the “means, motive, and opportunity” to administer the poison while Navalny was imprisoned in Russia, the report said. 

Cooper suggested additional coordinated measures could follow, including tougher sanctions, as the UK and partners seek to sustain pressure on Moscow alongside support for Ukraine. 

The five countries have referred Russia to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons after accusing the Kremlin of breaching relevant conventions, The Guardian said. 

Read more at The Guardian