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“It should be silenced.” Angela Merkel’s (66) words in the direction of Moscow were unusually sharp when she spoke on Wednesday about poisoned Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny (44). A special Bundeswehr laboratory had previously provided “unequivocal evidence” that a chemical nerve agent from the Novitschok fatal group was present in Navalny’s body. The seriously injured Russian opposition member is currently in the Charité clinic in Berlin.
The attack on Navalny leads to a dispute at the highest level between Moscow and the West. It is true that Navalny has become a “victim of a crime”, said the German chancellor. “We hope that the Russian government agrees with this process.” NATO, the US, Britain, the EU and other states also did not refrain from criticism.
German SPD Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (53) summoned Russian Ambassador Sergei Netschajew (67) to “leave without doubt” that the attack was being condemned “in the strongest terms.”
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag, Norbert Röttgen (55), added one more: “Now we have again brutally faced with the inhuman reality of the Putin regime.” The CDU politician called for a clear, hard and uniform European line.
Gigantic pipeline in danger
The outbreak of the dispute could jeopardize a joint construction megaproject, so to speak, in the last mile: Nord Stream 2. For the Greens in Germany, one thing is clear: the German-Russian pipeline project must be canceled immediately! righ now! The leader of the parliamentary group Katrin Göring-Eckardt (54) said: “The apparent assassination attempt by the Kremlin mafia structures can no longer simply worry us, it must have real consequences.”
Röttgen also asks for a stop. If the completion of the gas pipeline between Russia and Europe now comes, it would be a maximum confirmation and encouragement for Russian President Vladimir Putin (67) to continue exactly with this policy, he said.
Effects on companies in Switzerland
Merkel said Tuesday that she wanted to complete the project, which cost about eight billion euros. Of the total length of 2,460 kilometers, 2,300 kilometers have been laid, 94 percent. However, work was halted in December 2019 because the Switzerland-based Allseas group withdrew its special ships from the construction site due to pressure from US sanctions.
Compared to VIEW, Zug-based Nord Stream 2 AG does not want to comment on the current discussion. “As a project developer, we do not comment on political debates,” says media spokesman Jens D. Mueller. Both Nord Stream 2 and the companies supporting the project are convinced that “the quickest possible start-up of the gas pipeline is in the interest of Europe’s energy security, European consumers, the EU’s economic competitiveness and protection obligations. of the weather”.
Russia accuses Germany
Russia criticizes the approach and harsh words of the German government and has since turned the tables. Germany is now accused of having poisoned Navalny herself! Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskow (52) said that no toxic substances had been found in our own investigations.
Duma deputy Andrei Lugovoi (53) became more specific and even suspected of being a hospital employee in Berlin: “A nurse, a doctor could administer the substance if they really wanted to put Navalny in contact with a toxic substance in some way . I’m sure that’s exactly what happened. “
The Kremlin wants to prevent the situation in Belarus
For Jeronim Perović (49), a Swiss expert on Russia, it is no coincidence that the attack took place. Perović teaches Eastern European history at the University of Zurich and directs the Center for Eastern European Studies (CEES), which deals with contemporary issues in Eastern Europe. To BLICK he says: “The popular uprising in Belarus has scared the Kremlin. One wants to avoid a similar development in Russia. The attack on Navalny should not only take the initiative of the opposition, but also send a warning signal to all real and suspected opponents of the regime. “
Russia is not interested in an increase in tensions with the West and with Nawalnys’ transfer to Germany it has also shown a “minimal willingness to cooperate to limit the damage.” However, Perović does not assume that Russia will allow an independent international commission of inquiry on its own territory, as it would be necessary for a reasonably transparent investigation of the case.
Tensions within Europe too
According to Perović, the attack will further strain tensions between the West and Russia. This is particularly detrimental to the war in Ukraine, as this conflict cannot be resolved without Moscow’s willingness to compromise.
But the Navalny case could also lead to a rift within Europe, especially when it comes to the construction of Nord Stream 2, which was torpedoed by several countries from the start. Perović: “In the EU it will now be more difficult to agree on common positions on Russia.”
