The Russian opposition leader Alexej Navalny (picture from 2018)
Photo: Anton Novoderezhkin / imago images / ITAR-TASSThe departure of the prominent Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny for Germany will be delayed by a few hours, according to the authorities in the Siberian Omsk. The special aircraft chartered in Berlin will only take off on Saturday morning (local time), said the region's Ministry of Health, as reported by the Russian news agency Tass. The reason given was that the pilots had to comply with statutory rest periods.
Nawalny's spokeswoman Kira Jarmysch also wrote on Twitter that it could take several hours before departure. She didn't give any details. Omsk is four hours ahead of Central European Summer Time (CEST). However, the plane is expected in Berlin this Saturday, where Navalny is to be treated in the Charité after his possible poisoning.
The opposition has been in a coma since Thursday and is artificially ventilated. Nawalny's team believe that he was the victim of a poison attack while traveling through Siberia. The Russian doctors, however, only speak of a metabolic disorder. Only after hours of back and forth did they let go of their concerns about moving to Germany in the evening. Navalny is one of the harshest critics of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
The Foreign Office in Berlin initially did not want to comment on the further procedure. A spokesman pointed out that the flight was a private operation of the Cinema for Peace initiative.
Navalny is the leader of the liberal opposition. The qualified lawyer regularly accuses the government and oligarchs of corruption and abuse of power. There had already been several attacks on the 44-year-old. The lawyer wanted to fly back to Moscow on Thursday. At the airport in Tomsk he had another tea, said Navalny's spokeswoman. He felt uncomfortable during the flight and lost consciousness while on board. The plane then landed in Omsk.
Icon: The mirrorkfr / dpa