Navalny is receiving IV fluids, his lawyers state that his condition is critical

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Navalny's doctor Anastasia Wasiljewa and his doctor Jaruslaw Aschikmin in front of the military hospital where the Kremlin critic was housed

Photo: TATYANA MAKEYEVA / REUTERS

According to his lawyers, the health of Russia's most famous prisoner is still threatening. Alexei Navalny is "very weak, can hardly sit and speak," said the lawyer Olga Mikhailova after a visit to Navalny. The 44-year-old Kremlin critic has been on a hunger strike for almost three weeks after Russian authorities announced on Monday that he was being transferred to a prison hospital.

There, however, according to Mikhailova, he received "no medical help." She called for the opposition member to be transferred to a "civilian hospital" in Moscow. Lawyer Vadim Kobesv also criticized the treatment in the military hospital. Accordingly, Navalny initially received a glucose infusion, but nothing more. Last evening, the nurses failed six times when trying to attach the infusion needle. "Now it's just his hands that are bruised and battered," tweeted Kobsew.

The imprisoned Navalny is on hunger strike for adequate medical care.

He was transferred from Pokrov prison camp to a prison hospital in another prison camp in the Vladimir region on Monday.

The prison authorities had previously described his condition as "acceptable".

On the other hand, the Kremlin critic's doctors warned of an impending heart attack.

"It's all about health and life here"

Navalny's personal doctor Anastasia Vasilyeva said she was denied access to her patient.

"It's very disrespectful to people who want to do their human duty, their medical duty to help a patient." The prison authorities told the team to try again later that day.

"It's all about life and health here," said Vasilyeva.

Navalny survived an attack in Russia last August with a neurotoxin from the Novichok group and blamed the Kremlin for the attack. After his treatment and recovery in the Berlin Charité, he was arrested on his return to Moscow in January and sentenced to two and a half years in prison. For a long time he has been complaining of severe back pain, symptoms of paralysis in his arms and legs and a lack of medical care. According to his team, his life is now in danger.

Internationally, the state of President Vladimir Putin's adversary has caused great concern.

US security advisor Jake Sullivan warned Moscow on Sunday of the "consequences" of Navalny's death.

Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) had also expressed concern about Nawalny's health.

The Federal Government is working with others to ensure "that he receives the appropriate medical care," said Merkel in front of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Strasbourg Council of Europe.

mrc / dpa / AFP / Reuters