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Tuesday, September 08, 2020
While Kremlin critic Navalny is still being treated in Berlin, a group of opposition members close to him are being attacked with a chemical in Novosibirsk, Russia. He is currently campaigning against supporters of Russian President Putin.
In Novosibirsk, Russia, two people were injured in an attack on opposition activists, according to the foundation of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. “An unknown person broke into the office and broke a bottle containing an unknown chemical,” Olga Gussewa of the anti-corruption foundation FBK wrote on Twitter. Two people were taken to the hospital.
According to her, the event took place at the premises of the group “Novosibirsk 2020”. The group is currently campaigning against supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others, due to the regional elections on September 13. One of the activists, Sergei Boyko, is running in the municipal elections on Sunday and is considered a Navalny supporter.
Masked man throws glass bottle in office
At the time of the crime, Guseva said there were 50 people in the Novosibirsk 2020 offices. Following the incident, a “very pungent and unbearable smell” spread throughout the compound. FBK director Ivan Zhdanov said on Twitter that two people had been taken to the hospital for checks. Zhdanov posted images from a surveillance camera that showed a man in a hooded jacket and mask. The man can also be seen entering the building, throwing a glass bottle on the ground, and escaping.
According to police, the unknown chemical is said to be an antiseptic used in veterinary medicine, opposition outlet Mbkh reported. The antiseptic is known to give off a “strong, unpleasant odor”.
Navalny collapsed on August 20 on a flight over Siberia. Since August 22, he has been receiving treatment at the Charité in Berlin. The German government describes as proven that the 44-year-old man was the victim of a poison attack and is asking the Russian side to investigate. In the days leading up to the attack, Navalny was touring Russia to prevent Putin’s supporters from being elected in the upcoming regional elections.
