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The Russian government critic Alexej Navalny was poisoned with the chemical nerve agent Novichok after investigations by a special laboratory of the German armed forces. The German government announced Wednesday that the laboratory tests provided “unequivocal evidence”.
9:12 pm, September 2, 2020
Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation FBK director has blamed the Russian state for poisoning the opposition with a chemical nerve agent. “Only the state can use Novichok, “Iwan Schadnow wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. That would be “without a doubt”.
The German government had previously stated that a substance from the so-called Novitschok group had been detected in Navalny’s body. According to Schadnow, the Russian secret service FSB and the military secret service GRU could carry out such an act. In a radio interview, he said the use of “chemical warfare agents” made it clear that the attack was organized by the state. “That is why, of course, we ask that a criminal process and a normal investigation be initiated into all the circumstances surrounding the poisoning.”
Your name sounds harmless, yeah Novitschok (newcomer in German) is one of the deadliest war agents ever invented. After the former Russian double agent in 2018 Sergei Skripal was poisoned with it., is now also with the critic of the Kremlin Alexej Navalny an “unequivocal proof” given by Novichok, according to the German government.
The neurotoxin series was developed in the 1970s and 1980s. by Soviet researchers – secretly to circumvent international bans. Few details are known about Novichok. Presumably, it consists of two components that are inherently non-toxic and only develop their deadly danger when mixed together. The Cold War relic is said to be five to ten times more powerful than the chemical warfare agent VX. With this, the half brother of the North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un was assassinated in Malaysia in February 2017.
Novichok arrives, often used in extremely fine powder form Through the skin or respiratory tract into the body and usually leads to death from suffocation within a few hours.. The poison is difficult to detect and the chances of survival are slim. Even with such poisoning, common antidotes, such as atropine, can usually do little.
Nerve poisons are agents of war that attack the nervous system. – especially the enzymes that are responsible for communication with the muscles. Initially they cause cramps, then paralysis and can lead to death from suffocation or heart failure.
Russian chemist Wil Mirsajanow, which emigrated to the US in 1995, came to light after the collapse of the Soviet Union attention to the existence of the secret Novichok program. When asked about the Skripal case, he said in March 2018 that to the best of his knowledge, the former double agent and his daughter were the first people to use the neurotoxin against.
Russian scientist Leonid Rink, who, according to state media, is said to have worked on a government sponsored program for the development of Novichok, rejected the possibility of a Novichok deployment to Navalny. If the substance had been used in opposition, he would be dead and not in a coma.Rink told the state news agency Ria Novosti.
Merkel: Navalny should be silenced
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was shocked by the results of the investigation into the case of Russian government critic Alexej Navalny. It is true that this “Victim of a crime “ Merkel said Wednesday in Berlin. “It should be silenced.”
The German chancellor said he was clearly identified as a carrier of a chemical nerve agent. “We hope that the Russian government will agree to this process,” Merkel said. “Now there are very serious questions that only the Russian government can and should answer.”
The test result could be difficult anyway tarnished relations between Russia and Germany just as other western states are massively shaking again. A neurotoxin from the Novichok group was also used in the poisoning of former Russian double spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia in Salisbury, UK in 2018. The two barely survived.
Russian diplomats expelled from western countries
In response, numerous Western states expelled Russian diplomats. This time, too, the German government is fighting for a coordinated approach by the Western allies. This was made clear by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Michael Roth, and the Secretary of State for Defense, Gerd Hoofe, in a joint briefing of members of the Bundestag, according to the participants.
The German Foreign Ministry wants to inform the Russian ambassador about the results of the investigation. “The federal government will also be in contact with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OVCW),” Seibert said.
In a first reaction, a spokesman for the Russian presidential office said that the Moscow government had not been informed of the findings in Germany. Navalny has been treated at the Berlin Charite since August 22. The critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin collapsed on a domestic flight on August 20. First it was me Siberian Omsk treated before being transferred to Germany. Russian doctors had stated that they had found no evidence of poisoning. However, a few days after Nawalny’s arrival, Charite announced that they had found traces of venom on his body.
Last Friday, the Charite announced that the Navalny’s poisoning symptoms receded. His condition is stable, he is still in an intensive care unit in an artificial coma and is mechanically ventilated. There is no serious danger to life, but the long-term consequences of “severe patient poisoning” are not foreseeable.
Russia saw no reason to investigate
However, Russian security authorities have so far stated that they saw no grounds for an investigation. There are no indications of crime. However, the Moscow prosecutor general contacted the Federal Office of Justice on August 27 to obtain information about the case, as confirmed on Wednesday by a spokesman for the German Ministry of Justice in Berlin. The spokesperson declined to provide further information. According to a report in the Russian newspaper “RBC”, the Russian authorities wanted information on Navalny’s treatment, the results of blood and urine tests and information on the substances found.
Merkel consulted with Scholz and Maas
German Chancellor Angela Merkel consulted with Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Chief of the Federal Chancellery, Helge Braun, and agreed on additional steps, Seibert said. The parliamentary groups in the Bundestag will also be informed. Merkel wanted to speak at a press conference that same afternoon (5.30 pm) in Berlin. “We expect a full recovery from Alexej Navalny,” said Seibert.
