Life on Russia’s kill list: ‘I don’t touch door handles with my bare hands’

Being poisoned to death is not something most people have to think about.

But for Roman Dobrokhotov and his family, it’s a threat that is part of daily life.

The exiled Russian journalist, 42, fled his homeland through the forest in July 2021 and has been on Putin’s most wanted list ever since.

Speaking after the UK confirmed that opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a deadly frog toxin, Dobrokhotov revealed the precautions he still takes to make sure the same doesn’t happen to him.

Dobrokhotov, editor-in-chief of The Insider, sparked fury inside the Kremlin after he revealed the Russian agents who sprayed Novichok on the front door of Sergei Skripal’s house in Salisbury in 2018.

Three years later, he was forced to flee the country after he helped to identify security officials involved in another Novichok attack, this time on Mr Navalny in August 2020.

The exiled dad-of-two was in the UK when he became the target of a Putin spy ring working in London and Great Yarmouth.

During the trial of three Bulgarian members of the group, a court heard how they discussed using ricin or the nerve agent VX to poison Dobrokhotov.

One message even suggested the ring ‘maybe burn him alive on the street, spray him with some super-strong acid.’

Despite the six spies being jailed for 50 years, Dobrokhotov is more convinced than ever that Russia is still after him.

The dissident told Metro: ‘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.’

Dobrokhotov, who has a wife and two young sons, refuses to reveal even the country where he currently lives, to keep agents off the scent.

But when he’s on the move for conferences and work, he has to go to extreme lengths to protect his safety.

He explained: ‘When I’m in a hotel and the Russians know where I am, I’ll open the door with a handkerchief.

‘I will not drink from certain bottles, and I will not open certain doors.

‘If a stranger comes up to me at a conference and starts asking questions, my first thought is to answer as if I am speaking to a Russian spy. To make sure I am not giving anything away.

‘It is not like I am stressed every day – I just need to be aware of situations where the Russians can predict where I am.’

Dobrokhotov described keeping certain common acids as a protective measure, which he believes could be used if he touches a nerve agent.

Alleged poisonings in Europe have continued in the years since the assassination attempt on former spy Skripal in Salisbury.

Investigative journalist Elena Kostyuchenko fell ill after a trip to Munich in October 2022 and activist Natalia Arno suffered ‘strange symptoms in May 2023.

Last weekend, Britain and its allies said poison was behind Mr Navanly’s death following analysis of material samples found on his body.

Scientists from Porton Down identified Epibatidine – a powerful neurotoxin found in South American poison dart frogs – in samples linked to Navalny, who died at a Siberian penal colony in 2024 aged 47.

Russia consistently denies being behind any alleged poisonings on Russian dissidents.

However, Dobrokhotov, whose outlet The Insider also investigated Mr Navanly’s death, said the use of a frog toxin was a sign of changing Kremlin tactics.

He said: ‘It is harder to detect than Novichok.

‘Everyone knows Novichok, and it has been used so many times. So they need something else.’

The journalist welcomed the West’s decision to publicly reveal their findings, saying it would help corner Putin and dissuade from carrying out copycat attacks on dissidents.

Dobrokhotov said: ‘It is one thing is 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.

‘One press conference may not change Putin’s behavior. But it is one of many things which will push him back and restrict him from doing this on a bigger scale.’

Over the weekend, the Foreign Office also insisted that Russia had not destroyed all of its chemical weapons, as Moscow claimed it had done in 2017.

The government vowed to continue exposing the Kremlin’s use of chemical and biological weapons.

Despite fearing for his own life, Dobrokhtov believes that European countries have become effective at cracking down on Russian agents since Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022.

He is determined to continue his work at The Insider, an investigative journalism site, which has seen him uncover hundreds of Russian agents.

The journalist said: ‘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 find these people who are trying to kill us.’

Dobrokhtov warned that Russia is turning to encrypted Telegram channels to fine oblivious recruits.

The spy-hunter said: ‘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.’

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