The Labour Governent have threatned Vladimir Putin with crippling new sanctions after the Kremlin was blamed for the fatal poisoning of Alexei Navalny.
Britain and its allies blamed the Kremlin for the “barbaric” act after it was discovered the Russian opposition leader had been dosed with a deadly frog toxin.
Mr Navalny died behind bars in 2024 in a Siberian prison following years as a fierce critic of the Russian president.
While it remains unclear how the unique neurotoxin, which is classed as a chemical weapon, could have been administered, the Foreign Office said there was “no innocent explanation for its presence in Navalny’s body”.
Speaking after the announcement on Saturday, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper suggested Britain may pursue further economic measures to hamper the Russian regime.
“We continue to look at coordinated action, including increasing sanctions on the Russian regime,” she confirmed.
“As you know, we have been pursuing this as part of our response to the brutal invasion of Ukraine, where we are also coming up to the fourth anniversary of that invasion as well.
“We believe that it is the partnerships that we build abroad that make us stronger at home.
Yvette Cooper has indicated the UK could slap more sanctions on Russia
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“It is by acting alongside our European allies, alongside allies across the world, that we do maintain that pressure on the Russian regime.”
Speaking specifically on the death of Mr Navalny, the Foreign Secretary recalled his mantra of “‘tell the truth, spread the truth’, because that is the most dangerous weapon of all”.
“That was his comment about the Russian regime,” Ms Cooper told the BBC.
“He is no longer able to do that, but that is why we are continuing to do that for him, and for his widow as well.”
The threat follows the announcement Alexei Navalny was fatally poisoned with a frog toxin
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On Saturday, two days before the second anniversary of Mr Navalny’s death, the Foreign Secretary addressed the Munich Security Conference on the matter.
“Since Yulia Navalnaya announced the loss of her husband here in Munich two years ago, the UK has pursued the truth of Alexei Navalny’s death with fierce determination,” she said.
“Only the Russian Government had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin against Alexei Navalny during his imprisonment in Russia.
“Today, beside his widow, the UK is shining a light on the Kremlin’s barbaric plot to silence his voice.
“Russia saw Navalny as a threat. 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.”
The Foreign Office also condemned Moscow for having “brazenly developed and deployed this poison in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention”.
It added: “Russia’s egregious and irresponsible actions, including its barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine continue to threaten our shared security.
“Time and again the Russian state shows the depths it is willing to go to terrorise people and undermine democracy.”
Britain and its allies accused Russia of the ‘barbaric’ act of poisoning the opposition leader two years ago
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At the press conference, Ms Cooper and Mrs Navalny were joined by foreign ministers from the UK, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.
All four nations, in addition to France, have been jointly working together to establish the cause of Mr Navalny’s death.
The latest findings will now be submitted to the United Nation’s chemical weapons watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.