But to the scientist, using this substance to poison Navalny is "quite unsettling". - Russian 'calling card' -For many experts, the use of poison bears a Russian signature. In the 1920s, Lenin created a poison laboratory called 'Kamera' ('chamber' in Russian), Lab X. It was this laboratory that produced Novichok," said Andrei Kozovoi, professor of Russian history at the University of Lille. Even if a poisoning can fail -- some targets survived, such as Yushchenko and Skripal -- it also serves to send a message, and acted as "a calling card" left by the Russian services, according to Kozovoi.

Source: Bangkok Post February 17, 2026 03:02 UTC