Navalny a victim of Novichok — Merkel
BERLIN/MOSCOW: Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who is in intensive care in a Berlin hospital, was poisoned with a Sovietstyle Novichok nerve agent in an attempt to murder him, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said yesterday.
She said Berlin now expected Moscow to explain itself and that Germany would consult its Nato allies about how to respond, raising the prospect of new Western sanctions on Russia, sending Russian asset prices tumbling.
Moscow has denied involvement in the incident and the Russian foreign ministry said Germany’s assertion was not backed by evidence.
“This is disturbing information about the attempted murder through poisoning against a leading Russian opposition figure,” Merkel told a news conference.
“Alexei Navalny was the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group.”
Novichok is the same substance that Britain said was used against a Russian double agent and his daughter in an attack in England in 2018.
Navalny (44) is an outspoken opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has specialised in investigations into official corruption.
He was airlifted to Germany last month after collapsing on a domestic Russian flight after drinking a cup of tea that his allies said was poisoned.
The White House said the use of Novichok was “completely reprehensible”, with the US National Security Council saying on Twitter that Washington would work with allies “to hold those in Russia accountable, wherever the evidence leads, and restrict funds for their malign activities”.
The Kremlin, which has rejected any suggestion that it or the Russian state was involved, said it wanted a full exchange of information and that Germany and Russia should cooperate. But it added it was unable yet to give a proper statement about the German findings.
Russian authorities and doctors have said previously they could find no evidence Navalny was poisoned.
Russia is already under Western sanctions after its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine six years ago. Another standoff with European nations or the US may further hurt its economy.
Britain and France joined in condemning the use of Novichok, along with the European Union, which said those responsible must be brought to justice.
Berlin’s Charite hospital, which is treating Navalny, said he remained in a serious condition in intensive care on a ventilator, even though some of his symptoms were receding.
It said it could not rule out longterm consequences from his poisoning and expected him to go through a long period of illness.
Steffen Seibert, a German government spokesman, said earlier in an emailed statement that tests conducted at a German military laboratory had produced “unequivocal evidence” that Novichok had been used.