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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny spoke for the first time in an interview with SPIEGEL about his poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok, and identified a culprit: “I claim that Putin was behind the crime, and I have no other versions of the crime.” The international media picked up the interview. The Russian actors also spoke.
From the American magazine “Time” and the British “Guardian” to the French “Figaro” and the “South China Morning Post”, news sites report on the SPIEGEL conversation. “Time” magazine writes that Navalny had previously tweeted about his health, but the interview was news with his clear accusation against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Navalny is the most prominent opposition figure in Russia. After the attempt on his life on August 20 in the Siberian city of Tomsk, he was treated at the Charité in Berlin. There he was visited by Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Kremlin’s opponent was released last week.
In the SPIEGEL interview, Navalny spoke about her near-death experience and her future. He also announced that he would return to Russia. “My job now is to remain the type who is not afraid. And I am not afraid!”
British historian Timothy Garton Ash described SPIEGEL’s Twitter interview as “extraordinary.” Navalny testified here and revealed the criminal energy and fragility of the “Putin regime.”
“Figaro” also judged that Navalny had given SPIEGEL a “comprehensive” interview and therefore raised the issue of EU sanctions against Russia again. At the same time, he gave ammunition to opponents in Russia, saying it was “manipulated by the West.”
Russian politicians suspect a conspiracy behind the interview
In fact, Vyacheslav Volodin, a senior representative of the Russian leadership, told the Russian Tass news agency that Navalny was cooperating with Western intelligence agencies. He called the opposition “shameless.” Russia’s ambassador to Berlin, Sergei Nechayev, called SPIEGEL’s interview “inferior poetry.”
After the publication, all 27 EU states commented on the case on the sidelines of the special EU summit. In a joint statement regarding the neurotoxin, Novitschok says: “The use of a chemical weapon represents a serious violation of international law.” It calls on the Russian authorities to fully cooperate with the chemical weapons ban organization to hold those responsible to account, EU Council leader Charles Michel said late Friday.
