Life on Russia’s Kill List: A Journalist’s Daily Struggle Against Poison Threats
For most people, the risk of being poisoned to death is a distant, unthinkable concern. However, for Roman Dobrokhotov and his family, this lethal threat is an ever-present reality woven into the fabric of their daily existence. The 42-year-old exiled Russian journalist, who fled his homeland through dense forests in July 2021, has remained on Vladimir Putin’s most-wanted list ever since his escape.
In the wake of the UK’s confirmation that opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a deadly frog toxin, Dobrokhotov has disclosed the rigorous precautions he continues to enforce to prevent a similar fate. As the editor-in-chief of The Insider, he ignited Kremlin fury by exposing Russian agents responsible for spraying Novichok on Sergei Skripal’s front door in Salisbury in 2018. Three years later, he was compelled to flee Russia after aiding in the identification of security officials involved in another Novichok attack, this time targeting Navalny in August 2020.
Extreme Safety Measures and Constant Vigilance
While in the UK, Dobrokhotov became the target of a Putin spy ring operating in London and Great Yarmouth. During the trial of three Bulgarian members of this group, a court revealed discussions about using ricin or the nerve agent VX to poison him. One chilling message even proposed burning him alive on the street or spraying him with super-strong acid. Despite the six spies being sentenced to 50 years in prison, Dobrokhotov is more convinced than ever that Russian intelligence agencies are still actively pursuing him.
The dissident journalist explained his rational approach to survival: “I don’t have paranoia that my door handle could be poisoned – it is a rational expectation. It is proven in court that I am a target. It is an obvious fact. There are at least three organisations within Russian intelligence who are working on this kill list.”
To protect his wife and two young sons, Dobrokhotov refuses to disclose even the country where he currently resides, keeping agents off his trail. When traveling for conferences and work, he adopts extreme safety protocols:
- Using a handkerchief to open hotel doors when Russians are aware of his location.
- Avoiding drinking from certain bottles and refraining from opening specific doors.
- Treating strangers at conferences as potential Russian spies to avoid divulging sensitive information.
He maintains a supply of common acids as a protective measure, believing they could neutralize nerve agents if he comes into contact with them.
Changing Kremlin Tactics and Global Implications
Alleged poisonings in Europe have persisted since the Skripal assassination attempt, with cases like investigative journalist Elena Kostyuchenko falling ill after a trip to Munich in October 2022 and activist Natalia Arno experiencing strange symptoms in May 2023. Recently, British and allied scientists identified Epibatidine, a potent neurotoxin from South American poison dart frogs, in samples linked to Navalny’s death in a Siberian penal colony in 2024.
Russia consistently denies involvement in such attacks, but Dobrokhotov, whose outlet also investigated Navalny’s death, notes that the use of frog toxin signals evolving Kremlin strategies. “It is harder to detect than Novichok. Everyone knows Novichok, and it has been used so many times. So they need something else,” he stated.
He applauds the West’s decision to publicly reveal these findings, arguing it helps corner Putin and deter copycat attacks on dissidents. “It is one thing when people like me say Navalny was poisoned. It is another thing when the world community says it. That can influence people in Russia, and it can influence world politics,” Dobrokhotov emphasized.
Ongoing Threats and the Fight for Justice
Over the weekend, the Foreign Office insisted that Russia has not destroyed all its chemical weapons, contrary to Moscow’s 2017 claims, vowing to continue exposing the Kremlin’s use of such arms. Despite fearing for his life, Dobrokhotov believes European countries have improved their crackdown on Russian agents since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Determined to continue his work at The Insider, where he has uncovered hundreds of Russian agents, he draws a powerful analogy: “If you hold a tiger by its tail, it is scarier to let it free than to keep pulling. If we are already on the kill list, it is safer for us to keep fighting and try to find these people who are trying to kill us.”
Dobrokhotov also warns of Russia’s increasing use of encrypted Telegram channels to recruit unaware individuals. “We are seeing a rise in the UK in people who are hired through anonymous Telegram channels. They usually do not understand what they are doing. There needs to be wider awareness that if you get some task on an anonymous Telegram channel – it is very likely the Russian government. It is very likely you will be arrested and be in prison for decades. This must be known by lots of people,” he cautioned.
