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Traces of the nerve agent Novitsok have been found in samples taken by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, according to the German government.
In particular, according to German government spokesman Stephen Seibert, toxicological tests of Alexei Navalny’s blood samples carried out in a German army laboratory found “irrefutable evidence” that the Russian politician had
“The Federal Government will inform its partners in the EU and NATO of the results of the investigation,” added the German government spokesman, adding that it will “discuss the appropriate joint response with the partners in light of the Russian response.”
Navalny, a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow on August 20.
They took him to a hospital in Omsk and then to Berlin, where doctors said there was strong evidence that his illness was due to poisoning.
Since then, Navalny has been hospitalized in a coma in Berlin, and his team claims he was poisoned on the orders of the Russian president himself. The Kremlin categorically denies the accusations.
“It is a worrying fact that Alexei Navalny is the victim of a nerve agent from Russia,” the German government said in a statement, adding that it strongly condemned the attack and asked Moscow to provide explanations.
Moscow’s reaction
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov told Ria Novosti that Berlin had not informed Moscow of the conclusions it had reached regarding the Navalny poisoning.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, commenting on the German government’s announcement, said that Moscow was still awaiting a response to the request made by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office in Germany regarding Navalny’s health, his diagnosis and the results of examinations. .
It is noted that since he was transferred to the Charité Hospital in Berlin, Navalny has been under the protection of the same federal police department that has taken over the security of Chancellor Merkel herself and other government officials.
As many analysts point out, the Navalny affair bears many similarities to the poisoning of double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, UK. The neurotoxic substance novitsoc was also used in the attack on Skripal, according to research. This chemical is extremely dangerous to health and triggers a protein chain reaction that, if not treated immediately, can lead to death.
With information from Guardian / BBC / Reuters / ΑΠΕ
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