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Alexei Navalny: fairly likely Kremlin critic was poisoned, says Germany Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny probably poisoned, says German clinic
(about 3 hours later)
Kremlin critic needs police protection because it is likely he was poisoned, says government Hospital says substance is not yet known, and Navalny is in serious condition
The German government has said that the Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny requires police protection because of a “certain likelihood” he was poisoned, a spokesman has said. Tests indicate that Alexei Navalny was the victim of a poisoning, a German clinic has reported, in the first medical corroboration of an attempt on the Kremlin critic’s life.
While Berlin’s Charité hospital did not identify the specific poison responsible for Navalny’s sudden illness, the substance was part of a group that affects the central nervous system, and includes nerve agents and pesticides.
In a statement, the hospital said Navalny had fallen ill because of contamination from a cholinesterase inhibitor, adding that the specific substance was not known and analysis was ongoing.
According to the clinic, Navalny is in serious condition but “there is currently no acute danger to his life”.
“The outcome of the disease remains uncertain and long-term consequences, especially in the area of the nervous system, cannot be ruled out at this point in time,” the clinic said in a statement released online.
The confirmation makes Navalny likely the latest Russian dissident to face a high-profile attempt on his life. Other attacks include the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal with the nerve agent novichok, the 2015 shooting death of the opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, and the 2006 poisoning with a radioactive isotope of Alexander Litvinenko, an FSB defector.
Following the statement, Leonid Volkov, a Navalny ally, quickly drew comparisons with the Salisbury poisoning: “The world’s most famous cholinesterase inhibitor is called novichok.”
Navalny was being treated with atropine, an antidote used to treat the victims of poisoning by nerve agents, the clinic said. Doctors in Salisbury had used the same antidote to save the lives of Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, after the 2018 attack with the nerve agent Novichok.
A hospital in the Russian city of Omsk had previously denied Navalny had been poisoned. On Monday, the hospital’s deputy chief doctor insisted that two laboratories had found no toxins or poisoning products in Navalny’s tests.
Supporters said doctors there were under government pressure to cover up any evidence of an attack against the opposition critic.
“We were sure that Alexei had been poisoned … despite all the statements from Russian propaganda and doctors,” said Kira Yarmysh, a spokeswoman for Navalny, in a statement sent to the Guardian. “Now the poisoning has been confirmed. It is not a hypothesis anymore, it is a medical fact.”
Navalny was evacuated to Germany on Saturday after a direct plea from his wife to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, to allow his transfer abroad, as well as public concerns expressed by the leaders of Germany, France and Finland. He had fallen ill during a flight in Russia last week.
International leaders have voiced concern over the Russian opposition critic’s health and confirmation of his poisoning will likely prompt a wave of condemnation against the Kremlin.
US ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan, told journalists earlier on Monday that confirmation of Navalny’s poisoning would “represent a crucial moment for Russia”.
Deputy secretary of state Stephen Biegun was due to arrive in Russia on Tuesday as part of a tour through the region that would also include discussions on the Belarus crisis.
“The Russian people deserve to see that anybody who would have been involved in a matter like that is held accountable,” he said. “If Navalny had been poisoned this is a very significant for the United States.”
Supporters have said that they believe the Kremlin is behind the attack. Lyubov Sobol, a Navalny ally whose husband was stabbed with a syringe in a 2016 attack that sent him into convulsions, told the Guardian that similar attacks were the “hallmark of the Kremlin”. She and others said that they believed that such an attack could only be authorised by a senior Russian official with Putin’s knowledge.
The German government has said Navalny requires police protection because of a “certain likelihood” he was poisoned, a spokesman has said.
“Because one can assume with a certain likelihood that we are dealing with a poison attack, protection is essential,” Steffen Seibert, the spokesman for the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, told a press conference on Monday morning.“Because one can assume with a certain likelihood that we are dealing with a poison attack, protection is essential,” Steffen Seibert, the spokesman for the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, told a press conference on Monday morning.
Security has been increased at the Charité hospital complex in Berlin where Navalny is being treated for a suspected poisoning after falling ill during a flight in Russia last week. Security has been increased at the Charité hospital complex.
“The suspicion is not that Mr Navalny poisoned himself but that someone poisoned Mr Navalny, and there are unfortunately one or two examples of such poisonings in recent Russian history,” Seibert said.“The suspicion is not that Mr Navalny poisoned himself but that someone poisoned Mr Navalny, and there are unfortunately one or two examples of such poisonings in recent Russian history,” Seibert said.
The hospital said Navalny was undergoing extensive testing for poisoning, and cautioned it will take some time for the results to be known. The hospital said Navalny was undergoing extensive testing and it would take some time for the results to be known.
His family and supporters have not revealed any results from the hospital tests, although an aide told the Guardian on Sunday Navalny was in stable condition and remained unconscious. An aide told the Guardian on Sunday Navalny was in stable condition and remained unconscious.
His evacuation to Germany on Saturday came after a direct plea from Navalny’s wife to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, to allow his transfer abroad, as well as public concerns expressed by the leaders of Germany, France and Finland. The German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, was cautious in his remarks about the case on Monday.
The German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, was cautious in his remarks on the case on Monday.
“I belong to those who base their assessments on facts,” Maas said on a visit to Kyiv. “In the Navalny case we are still lacking too many facts – medical but also criminological – and we will need to wait for those to emerge.”“I belong to those who base their assessments on facts,” Maas said on a visit to Kyiv. “In the Navalny case we are still lacking too many facts – medical but also criminological – and we will need to wait for those to emerge.”
The opposition leader was transported in an isolation pod often used for coronavirus patients due to concerns that whatever caused his sudden illness could place medical staff or the air crew at risk. The opposition leader was transported in an isolation pod often used for coronavirus patients owing to concerns that whatever caused his sudden illness could place medical staff or the air crew at risk.
Supporters suspect he may have been targeted with poisoned tea before boarding a flight last week to Moscow and losing consciousness soon after takeoff.Supporters suspect he may have been targeted with poisoned tea before boarding a flight last week to Moscow and losing consciousness soon after takeoff.
On Monday, Kira Yarmysh, an aide to Navalny, said three days after filing a complaint with Tomsk police a criminal case had still not been opened for the suspected attack. On Monday, Yarmysh, the aide to Navalny, said that three days after filing a complaint with Tomsk police a criminal case had still not been opened for the suspected attack.
Doctors in the Siberian city of Omsk, where the flight made an emergency landing, have said they do not believe Navalny was poisoned. Navalny’s supporters say the doctors in Russia are under government pressure to cover up evidence of an attack. Doctors in the Siberian city of Omsk, where the flight made an emergency landing, have said they do not believe Navalny was poisoned.
At a press conference on Monday, Alexander Murakhovsky, the head doctor of Omsk’s emergency hospital No 1, said: ““We treated that patient and we rescued him. There was no interference in the treatment of the patient and there could not be any.” At a press conference on Monday, Alexander Murakhovsky, the head doctor of Omsk’s emergency hospital No 1, said: “We treated that patient and we rescued him. There was no interference in the treatment of the patient and there could not be any.”
Navalny’s supporters also claimed he was under surveillance during his trip to Siberia. A newspaper article citing police sources detailed extensive government surveillance of Navalny before he fell ill.Navalny’s supporters also claimed he was under surveillance during his trip to Siberia. A newspaper article citing police sources detailed extensive government surveillance of Navalny before he fell ill.
According to the article, police identified the apartment where Navalny was staying by tracking a sushi delivery to an associate, collected his receipts from a local store, and even followed him during a short trip out of town for an evening swim in the Tom river. According to the article, police identified the apartment where Navalny was staying by tracking a sushi delivery to an associate, collected his receipts from a local store, and even followed him during a short trip out of town for an evening swim in the Tom River.
On Monday, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov neither confirmed nor denied Navalny was being watched by the security services. “All I can do in this case is refer your question to the security services,” he told journalists. On Monday, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, neither confirmed nor denied Navalny was being watched by the security services. “All I can do in this case is refer your question to the security services,” he told journalists.
“Clearly, operational and investigative activities in regard to particular individuals cannot and should not be coordinated with any agencies, especially the presidential administration. This is the prerogative of the security services. The only way to verify the credibility of this information is to ask them.”“Clearly, operational and investigative activities in regard to particular individuals cannot and should not be coordinated with any agencies, especially the presidential administration. This is the prerogative of the security services. The only way to verify the credibility of this information is to ask them.”