Kremlin critic Aleksej Navalni was probably poisoned with some type of anticholinesterase. He is currently being treated, but the long-term consequences are still unknown. So say doctors from the German hospital where Navalni has been admitted. German Chancellor Angela Merkel demands a “full investigation.”
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The Russian Kremlin critic is currently in a coma in a hospital in Berlin. It is still unclear what precise type of poison was used, but according to the doctors it is a substance from the family of the cholinesterase inhibitors. They are also used in the production of chemical weapons and insecticide.
Navalni is currently being treated with the substance atropine. But whether that is enough to avoid long-term damage is still uncertain, according to the doctors. The impact of the poisoning on his nervous system is not yet completely clear, it sounds.
‘Multiple cases’
Earlier in the day, the German government also indicated that Navalni was suspected of being poisoned, “given that recent Russian history has unfortunately seen several such suspected cases,” said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert.
“This is a patient who has probably been the victim of a poison attack,” he continued. “The suspicion does not refer to the fact that Navalni poisoned himself, but that someone poisoned him, and the German government takes that suspicion very seriously.”
‘Extensive investigation’
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expects Moscow to conduct an extensive investigation into the matter. “Those responsible must be identified and held accountable,” Merkel said in a statement Monday, along with her Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
“Given Navalny’s prominent role in the political opposition in Russia, local authorities are urged to fully investigate this act,” Merkel and Maas said.
The German Chancellor and her minister further express the hope that Navalny can recover. The name of Russian President Vladimir Putin is not mentioned once in the entire statement.
In turn, as head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell on Monday asked that Moscow “ without delay launch an independent and transparent investigation into the poisoning ” of Navalny.
Russia is silent
The Russian government has not yet responded to the communication from the German government. On Friday, the Kremlin said it was unclear what caused Navalni’s condition and that initial tests did not indicate that he was poisoned.
The Kremlin critic was hospitalized in Omsk on Thursday after becoming unwell during a flight. His loved ones assured that he had been deliberately poisoned. From Omsk he was transferred to Berlin.
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