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Chancellor Merkel has condemned the “attempted poisoning” of Kremlin critic Navalny. She asked Russia for an explanation. A Novichok nerve agent had been detected in the 44-year-old man.
Chancellor Angela Merkel made a statement about the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny. She condemned the “attempted poisoning”. The 44-year-old man has been the victim of a crime. That was the result of a toxicological test carried out by a special Bundeswehr laboratory. According to this, Navalny had contact with a poison from the Novichok group.
“It should be silenced,” Merkel said in a statement. She expressed her condolences to the critic of the Kremlin and her family.
Merkel: Russia must clarify open issues
“We hope that the Russian government will agree to this process. There are very serious questions that only the Russian government can and should answer,” Merkel said. “The world will wait for answers.”
After that, a decision will be made on an appropriate joint reaction together with the EU and NATO partners and “in light of Russia’s submissions”. The crime is directed against the fundamental values and rights that Germany defends.
Russian ambassador summoned
The federal government had previously spoken of a “disheartening event” through a government spokesperson. It condemns the attack in the strongest possible terms.
Based on the new findings, the Russian ambassador was invited again for an interview. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he was asked to clarify the background to the case. It is important that those responsible are also held accountable in Russia, Maas said.
“Russia itself should have a keen interest in good relations with its neighbors in Europe. Now is the time to make a decisive contribution to this.”
Charité: Nawalny’s condition remains serious
According to the doctors who treated him at the Berlin Charité, Navalny’s health condition remains serious. Although symptoms of proven poisoning subsided, Navalny is still in the intensive care unit and mechanically ventilated, said the Berlin hospital, where Navalny has been treated since Aug. 22. It is to be expected with a longer course of the disease. Long-term consequences of severe poisoning cannot be ruled out.
Navalny was initially treated in Omsk, Siberia, before being transferred to Germany. Russian doctors had stated that they had found no evidence of poisoning. A few days after Nawalny’s arrival, the Charité announced that they had found traces of poison on his body.
“Only the state can use Novichok”
The director of the anti-corruption foundation FBK von Navalny blamed the Russian state for the poisoning. “Only the state can use Novichok,” Iwan Schadnow wrote on Twitter. That would be “without a doubt”. 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.”
