Novichok put in Alexei Navalny’s underwear, says Russian spy
FSB agent tricked into revealing bizarre details of plot to kill Putin’s chief critic
Agents of the Russian security services tried to kill the opposition leader Alexei Navalny by poisoning his underpants with the deadly nerve agent Novichok, according to a member of the assassination unit.
“The stunning disclosure from an agent who belonged to an elite toxins team in Russia’s FSB security service came in a lengthy phone call,” CNN reports. “In what he was told was a debriefing, Konstantin Kudryavtsev also talked about others involved in the poisoning in the Siberian city of Tomsk, and how he was sent to clean things up.”
In fact, Kudryavtsev was talking to Navalny himself, who had “phoned two members of the team from Russia’s FSB spy agency”, says The Guardian. “One recognised him immediately and hung up”, but Kudryavtsev “was seemingly duped into thinking he was talking to an aide working for a top FSB general”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Navalny fell ill aboard a flight from Tomsk to Moscow in August. He spent several weeks in a medically induced coma at a hospital in Germany, before making a full recovery.
“Laboratory tests in Europe revealed that he had been poisoned with a type of novichok, the Soviet-era poison that was also used in the Salisbury attacks in 2018,” The Times reports.
In his conversation with Navalny, posted on YouTube, Kudryavtsev says the FSB team disabled security cameras in the hotel where the opposition leader was staying and broke into his room with the poison.
“When asked by Mr Navalny to describe what item of clothing the agents had smeared with the nerve agent, Mr Kudryavtsev replied: ‘The underpants’,” The Times recounts. “When pressed further, he said: ‘They told us to work on the underpants. On the inside part. The crotch.’”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
According to tests carried out by the US army, “the groin is one of the areas of the human body that is most sensitive to nerve agents”, the paper explains.
Investigative journalists has previously suggested that the poison had been delivered in a negroni recommended by his hotel bartender. It “tasted like the most disgusting thing I’ve had in my life”, he said last week.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Holden Frith is The Week’s digital director. He also makes regular appearances on “The Week Unwrapped”, speaking about subjects as diverse as vaccine development and bionic bomb-sniffing locusts. He joined The Week in 2013, spending five years editing the magazine’s website. Before that, he was deputy digital editor at The Sunday Times. He has also been TheTimes.co.uk’s technology editor and the launch editor of Wired magazine’s UK website. Holden has worked in journalism for nearly two decades, having started his professional career while completing an English literature degree at Cambridge University. He followed that with a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Chicago. A keen photographer, he also writes travel features whenever he gets the chance.
-
Who actually needs life insurance?
The Explainer If you have kids or are worried about passing on debt, the added security may be worth it
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Sexual wellness trends to know, from products and therapies to retreats and hotels
The Week Recommends Talking about pleasure and sexual health is becoming less taboo
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Is the AI bubble deflating?
Today's Big Question Growing skepticism and high costs prompt reconsideration
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How would we know if World War Three had started?
Today's Big Question With conflicts in Ukraine, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, the 'spark' that could ignite all-out war 'already exists'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Will Iran attack hinder support for Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Pro-Kyiv allies cry 'hypocrisy' and 'double standards' even as the US readies new support package
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
The issue of women and conscription
Under the radar Ukraine military adviser hints at widening draft to women, as other countries weigh defence options amid global insecurity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why is Ukraine backing far-right militias in Russia?
Today's Big Question The role of the fighters is a 'double-edged sword' for Kyiv, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
Why is Islamic State targeting Russia?
Today's Big Question Islamist terror group's attack on 'soft target' in Moscow was driven in part by 'opportunity and personnel'
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine's unconventional approach to reconstruction
Under the radar Digitally savvy nation uses popular app to file compensation claims, access funds and rebuild destroyed homes
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What does victory now look like for Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Not losing is as important as winning as the tide turns in Russia's favour again
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Where has the Wagner Group gone?
Today's Big Question Kremlin takes control of Russian mercenaries after aborted mutiny and death of leadership
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published