Navalny lands in Germany after ‘poisoning’
Supporters blame Putin as Russian opposition leader, a prominent critic, lies in coma in Berlin hospital
ALEXEI NAVALNY, the Russian opposition leader, is being treated in a Berlin hospital for suspected poisoning after landing in Germany yesterday on an emergency flight from Siberia.
Supporters believe Mr Navalny – who is a prominent critic of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president – was poisoned. The Russian authorities deny any involvement.
Accompanied by his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, Mr Navalny was transferred by air ambulance from Omsk in Siberia and landed in Berlin’s Tegel Airport yesterday morning, German media reported. He was later transferred to the Berlin’s Charité Hospital, Germany’s largest university clinic.
Mr Navalny is currently in a coma and breathing through a ventilator. Doctors have described his condition as “stable”, according to local reports.
Russian doctors dispute any evidence of poisoning, instead saying Mr Navalny was admitted to hospital suffering from a “metabolic disorder”.
Mr Navalny fell ill and lost consciousness on a Moscow-bound flight from Tomsk, where he is believed to have consumed a poisoned cup of tea in the Siberian city’s airport. The plane made an emergency landing in Omsk, in south-western Siberia.
The Omsk ministry of health put out a statement late yesterday saying no toxins were found in Mr Navalny’s system, besides alcohol and caffeine. Following tests, “we can say with certainty that no oxybutyrates, barbiturates, strychnine, or synthetic poisons were found. Alcohol and caffeine were found in urine samples”, the statement read.
Mr Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh rejected earlier reports that he had been drinking the day before he was hospitalised.
The regional ministry said it stood ready to co-operate with foreign doctors or provide other assistance.
Yesterday, doctors at Berlin’s Charité Hospital said Mr Navalny was undergoing a series of “extensive” tests.
“An extensive medical diagnosis is currently being carried out. After completing the examinations and after consulting the family, the treating doctors will comment on the disease and further treatment steps,” they said. “The examinations will take some time.”
Mr Navalny’s allies have said they feared authorities in Russia might try to cover up clues as to how he fell ill.
The doctors in Omsk said yesterday they were ready to share all information they have with the German clinic.
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, is believed to have been a prominent supporter behind the move to bring Mr Navalny to Germany.
Late yesterday, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president, said he was “relieved” that Mr Navalny was being “treated in a hospital and by doctors who enjoy the trust of the family”.
Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, called for an investigation. He tweeted: “Relieved that Alexei Navalny has been flown to Germany to receive the critical medical treatment that he needs. I wish him a swift recovery. It is vital that there is a full and transparent investigation into his poisoning.”
Russian doctors initially opposed any attempt to relocate Mr Navalny, saying the patient was too ill to be transported. They later relented after German doctors said his health condition should not prevent the transfer.
Anatoly Kalinichenko, the deputy head physician of the Omsk clinic, disputed the earlier opposition to Mr Navalny’s transportation.
He said: “We have no objection to a transfer to another hospital.”
Mr Navalny has been a thorn in the Kremlin’s side for more than a decade, exposing what he says is high-level corruption and mobilising crowds of young protesters.
The dissident has been repeatedly detained for organising public meetings and rallies and sued over his investigations into corruption. He was barred from running in a presidential election in 2018.