Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who fell into a coma after a suspected poisoning, flew to Germany on Saturday after treatment after a day-long standoff over whether to allow a Russian hospital.
Navalny has promoted opposition candidates to Russian President Vladimir Putin since he was kept from running against the longtime leader in the 2018 presidential election.
He fell ill on Thursday while on the run and was taken to a Siberian hospital after an emergency landing. His allies think that tea he drank was poisoned by someone associated with Putin.
Navalny was initially OK to be transferred to a hospital in Berlin, but when the German plane arrived equipped with medical supplies, his Russian doctors said he was too fragile to travel, leading supporters to believe his transfer was for political reasons. delayed – until every poison in his system would be untraceable.
PUTIN CRITIC ALEXEI NAVALNY’S ‘POISONING’ IS THE LAST IN A LONG LINE OF ALL KREMLIN- BACKED HITS
The medical team of Omsk eventually became infamous after a charity organized by the medevac plane revealed that the German doctors examined the politician and said he was fit to be transported.
The Navalny spokesman confirmed on Saturday his departure for Germany on Twitter. He left after 8 o’clock local time.
“Alexei’s plane has boarded for Berlin,” Kira Yarmysh tweeted, according to BBC News. “Many thanks to everyone for their support. The fight for Alexei’s life and health has just begun.”
Deputy Chief Physician of the Omsk Hospital Anatoly Kalinichenko then told reporters that Navalny’s condition had stabilized and that doctors were ‘not about to’ transfer ‘the politician, given that his relatives were ready’ to take the risks. ‘
Alexander Murakhovksy, chief physician of a hospital in Omsk, said Navalny was diagnosed with a metabolic disease that may have been caused by low blood sugar, and did not believe Navalny was poisoned, Reuters reported.
The Kremlin has denied involvement in the incident, but it would not be the first time Putin has been accused of poisoning or murdering someone he sees as a threat.
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A Kremlin spokesman said the delay was a medical decision, but the decision to fly him to Berlin came as international pressure grew.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
