Russian doctors treating opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is in a coma after allegations that he was poisoned, have given him permission to go to Germany for treatment – after he initially refused to let him go.
The doctors, in the Siberian city of Omsk, said Navalny – one of Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critics – was too ill to be transferred from his intensive care unit, but denied suggestions that he was poisoned.
However, they eventually left after a team of specialists flew out of Germany and insisted after an evaluation that he was fit to fly in their special medical aircraft.
The Navalny family demanded that the 44-year-old politician and corruption investigator be transferred to an independent hospital after accusing Russian doctors of trying to cover up the alleged poisoning.
Anatoly Kalinichenko, the deputy chief physician at Omsk Hospital, confirmed that the transfer of Navalny to a top medical facility in Berlin had been approved, the BBC said.
“The patient’s condition is stable,” Kalinichenko was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency, according to the BBC.
“Because we are in possession of a request from relatives to allow him to be transported somewhere, we have now decided that we will not object to his transfer to another institution for patients.”
His medical plane is scheduled to leave on Saturday morning, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing airport officials.
Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, accused doctors of refusing his transfer as part of the cover-up.
“Of course we think it’s done to get rid of the chemical in Alexey’s body. Therefore, of course, he is not given to us, so the substance residues disappear, “Navalnaya said at a press conference on Friday, according to CNN.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the initial opposition to the transfer was merely a medical decision, not a political decision.
“It could be a threat to his health,” Peskov said.
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