Name: Russia killed Alexei Navalny with frog toxin, UK says: BBC Learning English from the News
Uploaded: 2026-02-18T17:04:06.000Z
Duration: 8 min 11 s
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This is Learning English from the News, our podcast.

About the news headlines in this programme, the poison scientists believe killed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

In this program, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode, as well as a worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com so let's hear more about this story.

European countries, including the UK, have accused Russia of poisoning opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Two years ago, Navalny, a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin, died suddenly in the Siberian prison where he was being held.

European scientists have now confirmed he died from poison found in frogs after they tested samples found on Navalny's body.

Russia denies it killed Navalny and says he died of natural causes.

But UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said there was no innocent explanation for the poison being found on Navalny's body.

This is from the Telegraph, a British newspaper.

How Porton Down scientists exposed Putin's chemical weapons arsenal.

And that headline again from the Telegraph, a British newspaper.

This headline is about how scientists at labs across Europe discovered the poison that they believe killed Navalny.

Porton down is the name of a UK research site involved in the discovery.

An arsenal is literally a building where weapons are stored, but

it's also used to refer to a collection of weapons that someone could use.

This story is about scientists discovering a poison that they believe Russia has used as a weapon.

So the poison is part of an arsenal of chemical weapons.

For example, you might hear about countries that have an arsenal of nuclear weapons.

But we can also use arsenal to talk about things other than weapons.

Yes, we use arsenal metaphorically, in more everyday context to talk about the skills or attributes a particular person or organization has.

For example, in sports, we could say a team has an arsenal of excellent players.

We'll also often describe someone as having something in their arsenal.

For example, the crowd loved her because she had an inspiring speech in her arsenal.

We've had arsenal, which can mean a collection of weapons or attributes that make you good at something.

For example, he was scared of getting into a dispute with the company because they have an arsenal of excellent lawyers.

Our podcast about the news headlines. Today we're talking about the poison scientists believe killed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

European scientists tested samples from Navalny's body because they suspected he had been poisoned.

The scientists discovered a poison that is usually found in the skin of poison dart frogs from South America.

The chemical is extremely rare and it can cause muscle twitching, paralysis, which means being unable to move, seizures, slow heart rate, respiratory failure and ultimately death, according to scientists.

The UK and other European countries said they believe the chemical was used deliberately to kill Navalny, but

This is from Sky News, a British news broadcaster.

The science behind the frog poison that allegedly killed Alexei Navalny.

And that's from Sky News, a British broadcaster.

This headline is from an article explaining how the poison works.

We're interested in this phrase, the science behind.

In this context, the word behind isn't about the position of things here.

Behind means that causes or that explains.

So the science behind the poison, that means the science that causes the poison.

In other words, the scientific processes that explain the deadly chemistry of the poison.

And we can use behind in similar ways to talk about causes or what's responsible for something.

So we can refer to the person behind a particular event or achievement that means they're responsible for it.

For example, a colleague could be behind a big sales increase for the company.

They're responsible for it, or the reason that it happened.

Or we could talk about the story behind a particular event or thing, which means the details or story which caused or led to that event.

For example, journalists often tell the story behind big political announcements.

They find out what causes the announcements.

We've had the science behind: the science that explains or causes something.

For example, the inventor doesn't want to share the science behind his latest discovery in case someone copies him.

This is Learning English from the News from BBC.

We're talking about the poison scientists believe killed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper talked about the scientific discovery at a security conference in Germany.

The UK and some other European countries want to take more action against the Russian government, who they've accused of murdering Navalny.

This action could include more sanctions against Russia.

Sanctions are restrictions designed to damage a country, for example, by making trade more difficult.

European leaders also pay tribute to Navalny two years after he died.

Pay tribute means to praise or remember someone.

this one is from the Independent, a British news organization. Navalny's Poisoning will Taint Vladimir Putin until His Dying Breath. And that headline again from the Independent, Navalny's Poisoning will Taint Vladimir Putin until His Dying Breath.

Now, this headline is from an opinion article about the story.

That means that it is the opinion of the author.

Yes, taint is a verb which means to spoil something or to make it unpleasant.

In this headline it says that the allegations that Navalny was poisoned by Russia will taint Vladimir Putin, Russia's president.

This means the allegations will spoil Putin's reputation or make him seem unpleasant.

Remember, this is the opinion of the article writer.

We commonly see taint used to talk about reputations, but

other things can be tainted too, such as memories.

For example, if you fall out or argue with a friend, it could taint all your good memories together.

Taint is the verb, but we can also describe something using the adjective tainted, and

For example, my friend's partner forgot their anniversary, so her memory of the day was a bit tainted.

We've had taint to spoil or make unpleasant.

For example, the scandal has tainted the singer's reputation.

That's it for this episode of Learning English from the News.

We'll be back next week with another news story.

And if you like Learning English from the news, try the series Our World in English, where we bring you documentaries from across the BBC in language you can understand.

Find the episodes on our website bbclearningenglish.