The European Union (EU) has imposed sanctions on six Russian nationals over their alleged involvement in the development of chemical weapons linked to the poisoning and death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.
The Council of the European Union said the restrictive measures target scientists and researchers working in Russia’s military and chemical research sectors who were allegedly involved in the development of epibatidine, a highly toxic substance.
According to the Council, traces of epibatidine were found in samples taken from Navalny’s body following his death in a Russian penal colony in February 2024, leading investigators to conclude that poisoning with the toxin was the most likely cause of his death.
Among those sanctioned is Igor Babkin, head of a laboratory at the Signal Scientific Center, where research on the synthesis of epibatidine was conducted and published.
The sanctions list also includes Irina Derevyagina, a chemical research analyst at the Russian State Scientific Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology, which the EU described as a “central” institution within Russia’s chemical weapons program.
Also sanctioned is Mikhail Gutsalyuk, head of the department responsible for scientific work and academic personnel training at the Military Academy of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense.
With these latest measures, the EU’s sanctions regime targeting the use and proliferation of chemical weapons now applies to 31 individuals and six legal entities.
Those designated under the sanctions are subject to asset freezes, while EU citizens and companies are prohibited from making funds or economic resources available to them, either directly or indirectly.
The listed individuals are also banned from entering the territory of the European Union.
