Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is in intensive care after apparently being poisoned, his spokesman said on Twitter on Thursday (August 20).
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Alexei Navalny was on a flight from Siberia to Moscow when the plane had to land in an emergency due to the sudden deterioration of his health, according to his spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh. “ Alexei has been poisoned, intoxicated, ” and “ is now in intensive care ,” she tweeted. “ We think Alexei was poisoned with something mixed with his tea. He didn't drink anything else this morning, ”she said, adding:“ The doctors said the poison was absorbed quickly through the hot drink ”.
State News Agency Tass confirmed that Alexey Navalny was admitted to the intensive care unit of the toxicology department in the emergency room of Omsk hospital in Siberia.
Main opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, this 44-year-old lawyer, whose anti-corruption publications are widely shared on social networks, has already suffered from physical attacks in the past. He had been sprayed in the eyes with a disinfectant when leaving his office in 2017. Mr. Navalny, his supporters and their families are regularly the subject of arrests, searches and police pressure throughout Russia.
