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REUTERS
Alexei Navalny was transferred to Berlin for treatment in August.
Doctors treating Russian dissident Alexei Navalny said he had come out of an artificial coma and that his condition had improved since he was poisoned.
The medical team treating Navalny explained that he was “hearing voices.”
Navalny, 44, was flown to Germany after falling ill on a flight over Siberia in August.
His team alleges that he was poisoned on the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who denies any involvement.
- What is the “Novichok” poison and what are its effects on the human body?
German doctors say Putin’s most staunch critics have been poisoned with Novichok.
The Charité Hospital in Berlin said in a statement that Navalny had his ventilators removed.
“It responds to sounds. But it is too early to measure the potential long-term effects of its severe toxicity,” the statement added.
“News on Alexei,” Navalny spokeswoman Keira Yarmisch wrote on Twitter.
In recent years, Navalny has become Russia’s most prominent opposition politician to President Putin.
What happened to Alexei Navalny?
Navalny fell ill on August 20 on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow.
His supporters suspect that they put the poison in a teacup at Tomsk airport.
“Alexei began to moan and scream. He was clearly in pain. He was lying on the ground in the part of the plane designated for the flight crew,” a passenger sitting near Navalny on the plane told the BBC.
The plane was diverted to Omsk, where the opposition politician was admitted to the emergency hospital.
Russian officials initially refused to allow Navalny to be taken abroad for medical treatment, but three days later he was flown to Berlin.
Last week, doctors in Germany said that the results of toxicology tests carried out in a military laboratory gave “unquestionable evidence” that Navalny had been poisoned with Novichok.
Omsk doctors insisted that no toxic substances were detected in Navalny’s body while he was in their care.
On Monday, the Kremlin said it was “absurd” to blame Russia for poisoning Navalny.
“Attempts to somehow connect Russia to what happened are unacceptable to us, they are ridiculous,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Novichok’s claim was not supported by evidence.
Novichok was used to poison former Russian spy Sergey Skripal and his daughter in the UK in 2018.
A British investigation blamed Russia.
What is the international response?
On Monday, the British government summoned the Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom “to express its deep concern for Navalny.”
“It is absolutely unacceptable to use a prohibited chemical weapon, and Russia must conduct a full and transparent investigation,” Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said Monday.
In Germany, there is mounting pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel to take a tougher stance on the incident.
Last week, he said that Navalny was the victim of an assassination attempt and that the world would look to Russia for answers.
- The poisoning of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny is a test for Western countries
Russia faces diplomatic consequences
Analysis by Damian McGuinness, BBC News, Berlin
Alexei Navalny’s condition has improved, but the German-Russian relationship seems worse.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that if Moscow does not cooperate with the poisoning investigation over the next few days, Berlin will start talking to European partners about the sanctions.
The most serious threat is that, for the first time, the government of Angela Merkel no longer rules out the suspension of construction works on the nearly completed “Nord Stream 2” gas pipeline, which will supposedly bring Russian gas to Germany through a pipeline under the Baltic Sea.
But stopping the project would be costly. Approximately 120 European companies are participating in it, and the total cost is more than 9 billion euros (10.6 billion dollars). Germany will have to pay compensation. Merkel may be under pressure. But German society is divided on how to deal with the Kremlin, and German attitudes towards Russia are varied and complex.
A German government spokesman said Monday that it was too early to make a decision on Nord Stream.
The Interfax news agency quoted Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak as saying the project must be completed despite current “difficulties”.
The European Union asked the Russian government to carry out a “transparent” investigation.
US President Donald Trump rejected Russia’s condemnation, saying the case was “tragic” but saw no evidence of Putin’s involvement.
On Monday, when asked about the “Nord Stream 2” gas pipeline, Trump repeated America’s opposition to the gas project.
What is Navalny famous for?
Navalny is an anti-corruption activist who has led nationwide protests against the Russian authorities.
He first made his mark in 2008 when he began blogging about alleged misconduct and corruption at some of Russia’s largest state-owned companies.
He described Putin’s party as the place of “scammers and thieves” and as “sucking blood from Russia” and has faced attacks in the past.
However, he was banned from running against Putin in recent elections due to his conviction for embezzlement.
He denies the crime and says his legal problems are retaliation from the Kremlin for his violent criticism.
