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As is often the case when Russia is caught with its pants down, the response is a cascade of mutually contradictory outbursts and statements. The same is true of the poisoning of the novitiate of the main critical politician of the Kremlin, who is always condescendingly referred to as “bloggers” in the Russian state media.
When Navalny was poisoned, lost consciousness and was treated in a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk, it was first said that he fell ill from alcohol. Since he had a metabolic problem. They were clumsy inventions, as Russian doctors gave Navalny atropine, the antidote to neurotoxins like novitjok.
Photo: TASS
When the patient was later evacuated to the Charité hospital in Berlin, and specialists found what they called unequivocal evidence that Navalny was poisoned with novitiate, the Russian denial machine went into gear: “Where is the evidence? Our doctors found no poison! “
In the western world, the reaction has against what appears to be an assassination attempt on top Russian opposition politicians has been clear. The EU, Germany and France have demanded a transparent investigation from Russia, and are increasing demands for tangible sanctions against Russia if this does not happen. US President Donald Trump has remained completely silent, but in the end Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued the sharpest US statement to date, stating that there is a “significant possibility” that the order to poison Navalny comes from “high Russian officials.” .
On Thursday night, when the issue at the request of the United States and European countries reached the UN Security Council in New York, Russian ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzja said that everything was reminiscent of the “fake games” of the forces that want to serve in the Navalny case.
– This leads to an unavoidable rhetorical question, which the Romans asked in such situations: Cui bono? The one who benefits from this is the one who did it, Nebenzja said.
He added, according to the Russian news agency Tass:
– Our judicial authorities have no basis to initiate an investigation. Our doctors, who by the way saved Navalny’s life, found no chemical weapons in their tests. And we have not received any evidence from Germany that would allow us to conclude that there has been a crime of attempted poisoning and thus initiate an investigation.
It is unclear how this goes along with the fact that Russian police on Friday requested to participate in the German investigation and to be allowed to question Navalny, who is still in the Berlin hospital.
Siberian Ministry of the Interior stated in a statement that all of Navalny’s movements prior to the Tomsk flight to Moscow have been mapped. Now they will demand that Russia’s own police officers and an expert be allowed to follow the work of German investigators. The Russian police could then “ask additional and clarifying questions” to Navalny, who has come out of the coma.
The Russian police have determined in their survey where Navalny lived, what he ate and drank (“wine and an alcoholic cocktail”, something that Navalny’s spokesman denies). They were also able to confirm that he visited a cafe at Tomsk airport, where Navalny, according to his staff, drank a cup of tea. Police are said to have also questioned “all but one” of the people accompanying Navalny shortly before he fell ill after his visit to Tomsk.
For an inexperienced ear It seems that some kind of Russian investigation is being carried out into the Navalny case. Although, according to the Kremlin, there is absolutely no reason to implement one.
Read more:
Russian police want to question Navalny
Michael Winiarski: Fears grow that Navalny will point to the culprits
