Two years after the death of Alexei Navalny, his supporters in Russia and other countries on Monday paid their tributes to the opposition figure.

The commemorations follow the publication of a statement by major European governments that says Navalny was murdered with a nerve agent by the government in Moscow.

How is Navalny's death being remembered?

Events are planned in more than 20 countries. In Germany alone, memorials were set to take place in a dozen cities including Berlin, Hamburg and Leipzig.

Navalny's widow Julia Navalnaya, who accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of being responsible for the murder of her husband at an Arctic penal colony, was expected to speak at a rally in Paris.

In Russia, where rallies are banned, people were laying flowers at Navalny's resting place in the Borisovskoe Cemetery.

What's the latest on how Navalny died?

France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom say that there were traces of the highly potent toxin epibatidine in Navalny's remains.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul announced the findings of a multi-national investigation into the death of Navalny alongside counterparts on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

"Russia claimed that Navalny died of natural causes. But given the toxicity of epibatidine and reported symptoms, poisoning was highly likely the cause of his death. Navalny died while held in prison, meaning Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to administer this poison to him," a joint statement said.

Navalny's mother said she felt vindicated by the European assessment that her son died of poisoning. She appealed for those responsible to be held accountable.

"This confirms what we knew from the very beginning. We knew that our son did not simply die in prison, he was murdered," she told reporters from near his grave.

"I think it will take some time, but we will find out who did it. Of course, we want this to happen in our country, and we want justice to prevail."

What is the poison allegedly used to kill Navalny?

Epibatidine is a powerful, fast-acting toxic compound first discovered in the skin of an Ecuadorian poison frog. It targets the nervous system and can cause death by paralyzing respiratory muscles.

Scientists became interested because it produces extremely strong pain relief by acting on the same nerve receptors as nicotine. According to studies, it has a potency at least 200 times that of morphine.

Although scientists investigated its properties as a non-opioid painkiller, it has not been used clinically because the margin between a therapeutic dose and a fatal dose is too narrow. 

The countries involved in the analysis of Navalny's remains say there could be no innocent explanation for the presence of the toxin, which would not be found naturally in Russia.

The ‌Russian ​government has repeatedly denied any responsibility for Navalny's death while he was held in custody. It dismissed the latest analysis as "a Western ​propaganda hoax," according to Russia's state news agency TASS.

Who was Alexei Navalny?

Navalny was Russia's most prominent opposition politician and anti-corruption campaigner.

He became known for exposing alleged corruption among senior Russian officials and state-linked elites.

Navalny survived a nerve agent poisoning in 2020, which he blamed on the Kremlin.

He returned to Russia in 2021, was arrested immediately, and spent years in prison under harsh conditions.

He died in custody in February 2024, prompting international condemnation and renewed scrutiny of Russia's political repression.

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru