Probably the most famous Russian opposition activist has been in a coma for days. Alexej Navalny has been treated in Berlin since the weekend. It is not yet publicly known how things are really going with him. The case raises many questions.
Berlin / Moscow (dpa) - After the possibly poisoned Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny was transported to Berlin, further details about his health could become known this Monday.
Navalny was extensively examined by German doctors at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin over the weekend. Information can be expected on Monday at the earliest, it said. The attending physicians only want to express themselves after the examinations have been completed and the family has been consulted. Nawalny's employees also want to provide information. When exactly was initially unclear.
The film producer Jaka Bizilj, who organized the flight to Berlin, assumes that Navalny will survive. In the political talk "The right questions" on "Bild live", Bizilj said on Sunday evening: "From my point of view, the crucial question is whether he can survive this unscathed and continue to play his role." In this case, Navalny would certainly be politically incapacitated for at least a month or two.
The 44-year-old, one of the harshest critics of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, has been in a coma since Thursday. He is said to have been poisoned according to information from those around him. The Russian doctors only spoke of metabolic problems. It was only after a long period of hesitation that the government critic was brought to Germany for treatment at the weekend. The family accused the Russian authorities and doctors of trying to cover up poisoning with this delaying tactic. The Federal Government's representative for Russia, Dirk Wiese, also called for the case to be cleared up transparently.
Navalny is in the clinic in Berlin-Mitte under the protection of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). "The police protection of Alexej Navalny was initially taken over by the federal government," said a government spokesman for the German press agency. Several emergency services were in front of the Charité entrance on Sunday. His wife Julia and one of his closest confidants were allowed to visit Navalny. The Russian opposition member had previously been transported from Tegel Airport to the clinic under strong police protection.
The exact circumstances of the case are still unclear. Navalny had passed out in severe pain while traveling in Siberia. At the weekend it became known that he was said to have been closely followed by security forces during his trip. It should have been documented with whom Navalny met, what he ate and where he slept. Even a sushi order from his employees was mentioned.
The opposition member Ilya Yashin announced that he would like to make an official request to the domestic intelligence service FSB. Yashin wrote on Facebook that it was outrageous that intelligence officials were spying on an opposition politician.
Navalny wanted to fly back to Moscow from Siberia 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 in Siberia, where it was initially supplied.
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