From Poison Dart Frog To Ricin Umbrella: The Navalny Case And History’s Strangest 'Political Killings'

Last Updated:February 15, 2026, 08:00 IST

The alleged epibatidine killing of Alexei Navalny revives a chilling tradition: when states turn to bizarre, exotic toxins to eliminate their enemies

In a revelation that reads like a Cold War thriller, five European nations—the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands—announced on February 14 that the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed using a neurotoxin derived from a South American poison dart frog. Laboratory analysis of material samples found on Navalny’s body conclusively identified epibatidine, a lethal toxin that causes paralysis and respiratory arrest. While the Kremlin had previously attributed Navalny’s 2024 death in an Arctic penal colony to “natural causes", the joint intelligence report asserts that only a state actor could have processed and deployed such a rare biological weapon.

This bizarre method of execution is not an isolated quirk of history but part of a long-standing, grisly tradition of using unconventional means to silence political adversaries. Here are five other political murders—or attempted assassinations—that used truly bizarre methods.

1. The Ricin-Tipped Umbrella (1978)

In one of the most famous espionage hits of the 20th century, Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was waiting for a bus on London’s Waterloo Bridge when he felt a sharp sting in his thigh. A man behind him, carrying an umbrella, apologised for the clumsiness and hurried away. Three days later, Markov was dead. Forensic investigators discovered a pinhead-sized pellet made of platinum and iridium embedded in his leg. The pellet had two tiny holes drilled with a laser, filled with a minuscule dose of ricin—a toxin derived from castor beans—and sealed with a wax coating designed to melt at body temperature.

2. The Radioactive Teapot (2006)

Former Russian spy turned critic Alexander Litvinenko met with two ex-colleagues at London’s Millennium Hotel for what seemed like a routine meeting. However, his green tea had been spiked with Polonium-210, a highly radioactive isotope. Litvinenko became the first person in history to die of acute radiation syndrome as a murder weapon. The toxin was so potent and rare that it could only have been produced in a nuclear reactor, leaving a trail of radiation across London that investigators eventually traced back to the perpetrators’ flight seats and hotel rooms.

3. The Nerve Agent Face-Mist (2017)

In a surreal scene at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was approached by two women who appeared to be playing a prank. They wiped a liquid on his face and fled. Within 20 minutes, Kim was dead. The “prank" was a sophisticated binary attack using VX nerve agent, the most lethal chemical weapon ever created. The women had each carried a non-lethal component that, when mixed on the victim’s skin, created a deadly toxin.

4. The Dioxin Soup (2004)

During the Ukrainian presidential campaign, pro-Western candidate Viktor Yushchenko suddenly fell ill, his face becoming severely disfigured with cysts and deep scarring. It was later revealed he had been poisoned with TCDD (dioxin), a chemical contaminant often found in Agent Orange. The dose was 50,000 times higher than average, intended to kill or permanently incapacitate him. Remarkably, Yushchenko survived, though his pockmarked face became a permanent visual symbol of the “Orange Revolution".

5. The Fentanyl Ear-Spray (1997)

In an attempt that backfired spectacularly, Israeli Mossad agents attempted to kill Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal on a street in Amman, Jordan. They used a device disguised as a bandage to spray a modified version of fentanyl—a potent synthetic opioid—into his ear. The plan was for Meshaal to fall into a permanent “sleep". However, the agents were caught, and King Hussein of Jordan threatened to hang them unless Israel provided the antidote. Under immense pressure, the Israeli government flew the life-saving serum to Jordan, effectively saving the man they had just tried to kill.

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