According to the investigation, among the specialists who studied the poison used against Navalny is a former deputy head of the chemical troops. This same individual previously headed the State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology (GosNIIOKhT), which, according to a number of sources, participated in the creation of the nerve agent "Novichok."

One of the authors of the articles on epibatidine published in Russia is Vladimir Kondratyev, who previously headed the State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology. In the 2000s, he held the position of deputy head of the Chemical Troops (the Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops of the Russian Armed Forces) for armaments and research activities. This information was established by Novaya Gazeta Europe, which found Kondratyev's biography on an internet resource dedicated to graduates of Suvorov military schools.