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Two independent labs have confirmed German findings that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with novichok.
Special laboratories in Sweden and France found that the Soviet nerve agent was used to poison the leader of the Russian opposition, a German government spokesman said.
Navalny, an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, is being treated at a Berlin hospital after falling ill last month on a domestic flight in Russia.
Samples taken from the opposition politician have also been sent to the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague for testing in their laboratories.
“Regardless of the OPCW investigations, three laboratories have now independently identified a military nerve agent as the cause of Mr. Navalny’s poisoning,” said government spokesman Steffen Seibert. “We renew our call to Russia to explain these events.”
Army doctors at Berlin’s Charite hospital were the first to say that Navalny, who woke up from a coma last week, had been poisoned with novichok.
Russia said it has seen no evidence that Navalny has been poisoned.
The 44-year-old Russian dissident is said to be responding to the speech.
Germany has said that the Navalny poisoning was an attempt to kill him and has threatened to abandon a joint underwater gas pipeline project with Russia if Moscow does not cooperate with the investigation.
