A Russian doctor claimed on Monday that there had been no outside interference in the treatment of opposition critic Alexei Navalny, who is suspected of being poisoned by the Kremlin and staying in a coma.
The statement of Alexander Murkhavsky – the chief physician of Omsk Ambulance Hospital no. 1, where Navalny was first taken on Thursday after falling ill on a flight to Moscow – comes as the 44-year-old dissident is reported to be in “critical but stable” condition at a medical facility in Berlin. was flown from Siberia to a German hospital on Saturday after a dispute over whether he was stable enough to be transported.
“We were treating the patient, and we rescued him,” Murakhovsky said Monday, accusing Navalny’s team of doctors in Omsk acting in coordination with Russian security services. “There was none and could not affect the treatment of the patient.”
An empty stretcher was returned Saturday in an ambulance that apparently transported Alexei Navalny to the emergency entrance of the Charite hospital in Berlin, Germany. (AP)
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But Murkhavsky could not identify men in plainclothes found at the hospital last week, whom the politician’s allies said were lawmakers and security services agents.
“I can not say who they were,” Murakhovsky said, according to the Associated Press.
Navalny allies who have promoted opposition candidates to Russian President Vladimir Putin since he was detained against the longtime leader in a 2018 presidential election suspect the tea he drank before the flight was poisoned by someone linked to Putin.
Navalny was initially approved for transfer to Berlin hospital on Friday, but when the German plane arrived with medical supplies, his Russian doctors said he was too fragile to travel, leading supporters to believe his transfer was delayed for political reasons. – and until any poison in its system would not be traceable.
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Russian doctors claimed Monday that two laboratories did not find any toxic substances in his system.
“If we had found poisoning by something, it would have been much easier for us,” said Anatoly Kalinichenko, deputy chief physician of Omsk Ambulance Hospital no. “But we got a definitive conclusion from two labs that no toxic chemicals that can be considered as toxins as by-products of toxins were found.”
Meanwhile, police are being deployed outside the hospital in Germany where Navalny is being treated.
“The circumstances of what led to Alexei Navalny’s critical condition have not yet been clarified,” Dirk Wiese, the coordinator of the German government for Eastern European affairs, told public broadcaster ZDF.
Alexei Navalny was flown to Germany on Saturday after a dispute over whether he was stable enough to board a plane. (Michael Kappeler / dpa via AP)
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“We expect completely transparent and also cooperative clarification, especially from the Russian authorities,” he added. “And before it is known how this happened, appropriate security measures are needed.”
The hospital is expected to release an update on Navalny’s condition later today. Wiese said he is “currently critical but stable.”
“He’s getting the best possible treatment right now,” he said.
On Sunday, Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, and assistant Leonid Volkov visited the Russian opposition leader at the hospital, but did not speak to reporters.
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Like many other opposition politicians in Russia, Navalny is often detained by law enforcement and harassed by pro-Kremlin groups. In 2017, he was attacked by several men who threw antiseptics in his face, injuring one eye.
Last year, Navalny was taken to hospital from prison, where he was sentenced to life in prison on charges of violating protest rules. His team then also suspected poisoning. Doctors said he had a severe allergic reaction and sent him back to detention the next day.
Fox News’ Brie Stimson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
