Germany says Alexei Navalny poisoned with Novichok

Saturday, September 5, 2020

File photo of Alexei Navalny.
Image: Evgeny Feldman.

On Wednesday, the German government said Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a range of neurotoxins developed by the Soviet Union. Last month, Alexei Navalny was airlifted from Omsk to Berlin because of falling ill, and transferred to a hospital in Berlin, Charité.

The German government announced the tests by a military laboratory found Novichok in Navalny's blood, and said there was "unequivocal" proof he had been poisoned. The spokesperson for the German government strongly condemned the attack. Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, demanded an explanation from Russia. The Russian government dismissed the claim from Berlin as groundless.

Navalny was airlifted from Omsk to Berlin in August when he was suffering from a serious medical condition. Navalny is an outspoken critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, and his associates had alleged Navalny was poisoned. Initial reports from Omsk hospital reported no traces of poison were found in his blood or urine before he was airlifted by Berlin non-profit Cinema for Peace Foundation.


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