The Merkel government is now certain about the case of the Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny: He was poisoned.
Moscow countered and blamed Germany.
The Russian opposition politician
Alexei Navalny
has
been poisoned
with a chemical
nerve
agent.
As government
spokesman Steffen Seibert announced
, the substance was
unequivocally detected
by a
special laboratory at
the
Charité
University
Hospital
.
After Angela Merkel condemned the attack, the tough counterattack from Moscow now follows.
Update from September 4, 11:34 a.m
.: After the poisoning of the
Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny
, a
Russian court confirmed
the actions of the authorities who have not yet started an
investigation
into the case.
The judges in
Moscow
rejected a complaint from
lawyer Navalnys
on Friday
, as the state agency
Tass
reported.
His application was examined within the legally stipulated period and passed on to the responsible investigative authorities.
The
opposition's
team
filed
a
complaint
shortly after Navalny lost consciousness on a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow about two weeks ago and was taken to a hospital.
The police in Tomsk, Siberia, then initiated “preliminary investigations”.
Navalny case: Kremlin defends non-investigations - mutual legal assistance request in Germany
The
Kremlin
had recently defended the police’s approach to investigating only when it was established that Navalny had actually been poisoned.
The
Public Prosecutor's Office
has not seen any evidence of this, but has
submitted a request for
legal assistance in
Germany
.
The federal government with Chancellor
Angela Merkel (CDU) announced
on Wednesday after investigations by a special laboratory of the armed forces that they saw it as proven beyond doubt that Navalny had been poisoned.
Doctors in the Siberian city of Omsk, where Navalny was being treated, said on Friday that the
44-year-old
had had digestive and nutritional problems for five to seven days before the incident.
The doctors had previously spoken of metabolic disorders.
FDP parliamentary group vice-Lambsdorff: Attack on Navalny is a sign of weakness
Update from September 4, 10:41 a.m.:
The
FDP parliamentary group
deputy Alexander Graf Lambsdorff
sees the poisoning of the Russian oppositionist
Alexej Navalny
as a sign of the nervousness of the perpetrators.
"By eliminating an oppositionist, you try to intimidate all other critics and oppositionists and keep them from doing their work," said Lambsdorff of the
Passauer Neue Presse
.
"But for me, the Navalny case shows how nervous the perpetrators must be," he said.
“In the Kremlin you can see the protests in Belarus against the fake election, in Khabarovsk people have been taking to the streets against the government in Moscow for weeks.
The rulers in the Kremlin still remember the nationwide protests of 2018 against plans for pension reform, ”Lambsdorff said.
"The attack on Navalny is therefore not a sign of strength, but rather of uncertainty and weakness." When asked whether the
trail led to the Kremlin
,
Lambsdorff said
: "Unfortunately there is a lot to be
said
for it."
Poison attack on Andrei Navalny: EU calls sanctions against Russia possible
Update of 4 September, 9:44
: The
EU
checks for the poison attack on the Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny their future dealings with Russia.
The
EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell
described
sanctions against Moscow
as a possible option
on Thursday evening
.
Borrell said the EU condemned "the attempted murder" of Navalny "in the strongest possible terms".
The Russian government must "do everything possible to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into this crime."
The
Director General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
, Fernando Arias, stressed in The Hague that the Navalny case was "cause for serious concern".
According to the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the use of neurotoxins is classified as “the use of chemical weapons”.
The use of chemical weapons is fundamentally "reprehensible" and violates the "legal norms established by the international community".
The
Russian ambassador in Berlin
, Sergei Nechayev, warned the German government against
“politicizing”
the case.
As long as the situation has not been clarified, he calls on people to "refrain from making preliminary assessments and only rely on the facts," said Nechayev on
ZDF
.
"The allegations that Russia is somehow involved in this process," said the diplomat as misguided.
The case shakes German-Russian relations.
Is the Baltic Sea Pipeline Nordstream 2 * now failing because of the conflict?
Poison attack on Kremlin critics: NATO convenes an unscheduled meeting on the Navalny case
Update September 3, 20:30:
The
NATO
advises on Friday at a special meeting of the North Atlantic Council about the case of the poisoned Kremlin critic
Alexei Navalny
.
A NATO spokeswoman announced on Thursday in Brussels.
Initially, NATO had announced a meeting at ambassador level without giving any details on the agenda.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wants to appear in front of the press after the deliberations (around 12.30 p.m.).
The case of the
poisoned Kremlin critic
sparked a widespread debate about how to deal with Russia.
The federal government announced on Wednesday that Navalny had been “undoubtedly” poisoned with a chemical nerve agent.
The Russian opposition member was flown from Russia to Berlin for medical treatment on August 22nd with symptoms of poisoning.
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU)
condemned the "attempted poisoning" and announced that
an "appropriate" reaction would be decided
together with the
EU
and NATO.
Alleged Lukashenko evidence: Poison attack on Navalny faked by the West - telephone call intercepted?
Update from September 3, 4.15 p.m.:
The Belarusian President
Alexander Lukashenko
says he
has evidence that the poison attack on the Russian Kremlin critic
Alexei Navalny
was faked by the West.
Lukashenko said on Thursday at a televised meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in
Minsk that
his secret services
intercepted
a phone call between
Berlin
and
Warsaw
, which clearly shows this
.
This should prevent Moscow from intervening in
Belarus
.
"There was no poisoning of
Navalny
," Lukashenko said.
"They did it - I quote - to prevent (Russian President Vladimir) Putin from sticking his nose into Belarus' affairs." He did not give any further details, but announced that a transcript of the taped phone call would be available to the Russian secret services deliver.
Lukashenko
has been facing increasing pressure since the controversial presidential election on August 9th.
Tens of thousands of Belarusians have been taking to the streets for weeks against the president, who has ruled for 26 years, accusing him of
election fraud
and calling for new elections.
Putin had promised Lukashenko military support last week if the situation worsened.
NATO called on
Russia
not to interfere in the affairs of the neighboring country.
Absurd accusation from Russia: Merkel government allegedly poisoned Navalny - "I'm sure that is exactly what happened"
Update from September 3, 3:18 p.m.:
Federal Defense Minister
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer
sharply attacked
the Russian leadership around President
Vladimir Putin
after the poison attack on the Kremlin critic
Alexej Navalny
.
"We want good relations with the Russian people, but we have to see the
Putin system for
what it is - an aggressive regime that tries without scruples to enforce its interests by means of violence and repeatedly violates the international rules of conduct," said they of the "
Rheinische Post
".
"The
Navalny case
fits in with the behavior that we know from
Putin
and his regime," said
Kramp-Karrenbauer
.
Again and again there is news that Russia is deliberately
violating
the
airspace of
the
Baltic states
.
“Sweden reports on Russian submarines near Swedish islands.
We know the violent crackdown by Russia in Ukraine. ”The CDU chairwoman said that it is well known that the Russian leadership is eliminating critics at home and abroad.
This has now been confirmed by the
Navalny case
and has once again become visible to everyone.
Navalny case: Kramp-Karrenbauer sharply criticizes Russia
Kramp-Karrenbauer described
Nawalny's poisoning
as "proof that
chemical warfare agents
are used
in Russia against people who stand up for their democratic rights and criticize the incumbent president,
namely substances that are banned worldwide".
The leadership in Moscow is "on the same level with those who have used chemical warfare agents against their own civilian population in Syria in the past," she said, referring to the Syrian ruler
Bashar al-Assad
.
Update from September 3, 12:53 p.m
.: "There is no reason to blame the Russian state," said
Kremlin spokesman
Dmitri Peskov in the Navalny
case
to journalists in Moscow.
He warned the
West not
to rush to conclusions and
impose sanctions
.
Despite the apparently
attempted poisoning of
the Russian opposition politician
Alexej Navalny
*
(see original report)
, the
FDP vice-chairman Wolfgang Kubicki has
warned against a quick
halt to construction on
the German-Russian gas pipeline
Nord Stream 2
.
"I am skeptical that we should question a project of this magnitude in the current phase of our findings," said Kubicki, who is also
Bundestag
Vice-
President
, on
Deutschlandfunk
on Thursday
.
Depending on the development, it could be that the construction will not be completed.
+
The FDP vice-chairman Wolfgang Kubicki (archive photo) gave an interview to “Deutschlandfunk” on the case of the Kremlin critic Andrej Navalny.
© Patrick Pleul / ZB / dpa
Attempted poisoning of Kremlin critic Navalny: Kubicki
Kubicki believes it is possible that the crime was carried out without the Kremlin being involved.
He made it
clear
on
Deutschlandfunk
that he “does not want to believe that (President)
Vladimir Putin
or the government in general is behind this attack” and said: “There are also forces in the Russian administration, some of which have a
life of their own
.”
The Russian government must now
clarify
the
background
and bring those responsible to
account
, Kubicki continued.
“My hope is that Putin himself will document that it did not happen at his behest, that it did not happen under his aegis.
Should it be otherwise, should we not get any reasonable explanations from Russia, we
will experience
an
ice age
between Germany and Russia over
the next few weeks, months and years
. ”Should President Putin or the Kremlin themselves be behind the act, there must be
economic
sanctions.
"If we do not get any reasonable explanations from Russia, we will experience an ice age between Germany and Russia in the next weeks, months and years," emphasizes Wolfgang Kubicki (@fdp) on Deutschlandfunk.
- Deutschlandfunk (@DLF) September 3, 2020
Absurd accusation from Russia: Merkel government allegedly poisoned Navalny - "I'm sure that is exactly what happened"
Update from September 3, 10.15 a.m.:
The day before, Chancellor Angela
Merkel
had poisoned
Kremlin
critic Alexey
Navalny *
condemned and admonished in the direction of
Russia
, saying: "The
Russian government
must now answer questions".
The counterattack from
Moscow
was not long in coming.
In Russia one now rejects all guilt and turns the tables unceremoniously.
Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov said, according to
Bild in
the evening in Moscow: Even before Navalny was transported to Germany, "a whole complex of analyzes was carried out in our country, in which no toxic substances were identified."
Navalny poisoned in Germany?
Russia with violent allegations against the Merkel government
Since in Germany "the unequivocal proof" of a chemical
nerve
warfare agent was provided at Navalny
, the statement made by Russia means in reverse conclusion:
According to Russia, the Kremlin critic is said to have been poisoned in Germany.
Latest news on Navalny poisoning: Russia accuses employees of the Berlin Charité
This conclusion is made clear by the Duma deputy
Andrei Lugovoi
according to the report to the
Tass
news agency
.
He even
blamed
the employees of the
Berlin Charité
directly
: “A nurse, a doctor could administer the substance if they really wanted to bring Navalny into contact with a toxic substance in some way.
I am sure that is exactly what happened
. "
Ivan Ridionov, the chief strategist of the Russian state broadcaster RT Deutsch, is also suggesting this notch.
According to his statement, Merkel's government was “urgently requested to explain the Novitschok Fund.
Who had access to the patient after landing in Berlin? ”.
The Russian Foreign Office spokeswoman Maria Sakharova even went a step further and indicated that Germany's anti-Russian action had been planned in advance.
According to the picture, she spoke of a script that had been written before the poisoning.
Navalny poisoned!
CDU man tellingly on ZDF: "The murder weapon says everything about the perpetrator ..."
Update of 3 Septmeber, 6:59
: In
case Navalny
CDU foreign policy expert urges
Norbert Röttgen
a tough European response.
"Now we have again been brutally confronted with the inhuman reality of the
Putin regime
," said the chairman of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday in the
"Tagesthemen" on ARD
.
This is not a German-Russian issue.
There had to be a clear, tough and uniform European answer to this.
It was a "painful, slow, public death", said CDU politician @n_roettgen, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, on the case of # Navalny.
The Nord Stream 2 project must be put on hold as a “common European response”.
pic.twitter.com/Yqtpe9NeBI
- ZDF heute journal (@heutejournal) September 2, 2020
"Everything has to be put to the test," Röttgen emphasized.
If the
Nord Stream 2
gas project were to be completed now
, that would be the maximum confirmation and encouragement for
Vladimir Putin
to continue with precisely this policy, said Röttgen.
There is only one language that Putin understands.
That is why we have to talk about natural gas, gas procurement and the non-completion of the pipeline.
Röttgen (CDU) on ZDF on the Navalny and Putin case: "The murder weapon says it all"
Röttgen also called for an end to the special relationship between the
Élysée Palace
and the
Kremlin
, between French President
Emmanuel Macron
and
Putin
.
It is up to leading countries that Europe pursues an active foreign policy towards Russia.
Röttgen recalled that Nord Stream 2 had been implemented against the majority of European countries.
"The murder weapon says everything, by the way, the crime scene also says everything and the victim also says everything about the perpetrator," said Röttgen also in the
ZDF "heute journal"
.
Something like that will be decided above.
Röttgen said: "This is top politics." The Kremlin will deny everything.
On ARD, Röttgen emphasized that he had “long considered the strategic partnership with Russia to be a dream”.
+
Norbert Röttgen (CDU)
© Christoph Soeder / dpa
Navalny poisoned: Merkel condemns action “in the strongest possible way” - consultations on further steps against Russia
Update from September 2, 2020, 7:10 p.m.: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
wants to
discuss possible consequences with Germany and all other allies
after the poisoning of the
Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny, which was
proven by a Bundeswehr laboratory
.
"NATO sees any use of chemical weapons as a threat to international peace and security," said Stoltenberg on Wednesday evening in Brussels.
Meanwhile, has
Russian Embassy in Berlin
, the German government against a "politicization" of the case
Navalny
warned.
"We call on our partners to avoid any politicization of this incident and to rely solely on credible facts, which we hope will be delivered as soon as possible," said a statement published on Wednesday evening.
In it, the embassy also calls on the federal government to provide a “timely response” to a request for legal assistance from last week, in which information was asked about the German investigation results.
"We expect full cooperation and information exchange, including the existing bilateral legal mechanisms."
Chancellor #Merkel: Alexej #Nawalny was the victim of a crime, he should be silenced.
The federal government condemns this very strongly.
We expect the Russian government to agree to this.
pic.twitter.com/Tu5LKI4Caf
- Steffen Seibert (@RegSsprecher) September 2, 2020
The Kremlin has agreed to cooperate on the Navalny case
Update from September 2, 2020, 7:10 p.m.:
The
Kremlin
has agreed to cooperate fully following the accusations of the German government.
"We are ready and interested in fully cooperating and exchanging information on this issue with Germany," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the Russian news
agency RIA Novosti
.
After evidence of poisoning near
Navalny
, the
US government has also
"expressed deep concern".
The White House spokesman for the National Security Council, John Ullyot, said on Twitter on Wednesday: "
Alexei Navalny's poisoning
is utterly reprehensible." He announced that the US would work with allies and the international community to bring those responsible in
Russia
to justice to draw - "wherever the evidence leads".
Russia has the right to express its views peacefully and without fear of retaliation.
Navalny Foundation: Only the Russian state can have poisoned Kremlin critics
Update from September 2, 2020, 6:21 p.m.:
The
director of the anti-corruption foundation FBK
from
Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny
has blamed the Russian state for poisoning the opposition with a chemical nerve agent.
“Only the state can use Novichok,” wrote Iwan Schadnow on Twitter on Wednesday.
That would be "without a doubt" certain.
The federal government had previously stated that
a substance from the so-called Novitschok group had been detected
in
Navalny's
body.
According to Schadnow, the
Russian secret service FSB
and the military secret service GRU could carry out such an act.
In a radio interview, he said that the use of "chemical warfare agents" made it clear that the attack was organized by the state.
"Therefore we of course demand the initiation of criminal proceedings and a normal investigation of all the circumstances of the poisoning."
The Russian scientist Leonid Rink, who, according to the state media, is said to have worked on a government-supported program to develop Novitschok, rejected the possibility of a Novitschok deployment at
Navalny
.
If the substance had been used on the opposition, he would be dead and not in a coma, said Rink of the state news agency Ria Novosti.
Navalny was poisoned: Merkel condemns the action "in the strongest possible way" - consultations with the EU and NATO about further steps against Russia
Update on 2 September 2020 17:37:
Chancellor Angela Merkel
noted in a PK on the case
Navalny
expressed.
The special laboratory of the Bundeswehr had unequivocally determined that Navalny was poisoned.
“He should be silenced, I condemn it in the strongest possible terms on behalf of the Federal Government.” Merkel also spoke with
Federal President Steinmeier
about the new findings, and the parliamentary groups in the Bundestag and the Russian Ambassador were also informed.
"The
Russian government
now has to answer questions," explains the Chancellor.
"The world will wait for answers." Together with
NATO
and the
EU
, the next steps will now be discussed, because "The crime against Navalny is directed against the basic values that we stand for."
+
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) speaks to the media in the Chancellery during a statement on the latest developments in the case of the Russian government critic Navalny.
© Markus Schreiber / AP POOL / dpa
Navalny was poisoned!
Merkel spokesman announces the result of the investigation - "Unequivocal evidence"
First report from September 2, 2020:
Berlin - In the present in Germany in treating Russian government critic
Alexei Navalny
was, according to the
federal government
, "the unequivocal evidence" of a chemical
nerve substance
from the
Nowitschok group
provided.
Government
spokesman Steffen Seibert
said
on Wednesday in Berlin.
At the instigation of the
Berlin Charité
where Navalny is being treated, one had
special laboratory
of the
Bundeswehr
a toxicological examination carried out on the basis of samples Nawalnys.
Statement by the federal government in the #Nawalny case.
https://t.co/QzFIgdnLUs pic.twitter.com/ZBTLlJo4M4
- Steffen Seibert (@RegSsprecher) September 2, 2020
Kremlin critic Navalny poisoned: Merkel government demands an explanation from Putin
"It is a
shocking occurrence
that Alexei Navalny was the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve agent in Russia," said Seibert.
“The federal government condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms.
The Russian government is urged to explain itself to the process. "
+
The Charité in Berlin, where Alexej Navalny is currently being treated - according to the latest information from the federal government after poisoning.
© Kay Nietfeld / dpa
The Foreign Office will
inform
the
Ambassador of Russia
about the results of the investigation and the German government will
inform
its partners in the
EU
and
NATO
about them.
“The federal government will also contact the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OVCW),” said Seibert.
+
Putin critic Alexei Navalny (archive picture) is in the hospital.
© Pavel Golovkin / AP / dpa
Navalny case: Putin government called doctors' opinion on Kremlin critics "hasty"
Navalny, who suddenly fell into a
coma
on a flight in his home country on August 20
and was initially
examined
in
Omsk
, is being treated at the Charité at the urging of his family.
After evaluating clinical findings, the German doctors assumed that Navalny had been poisoned.
The
Russian government
with President
Vladimir Putin
had described the assessment as
rash
.
(dpa / AFP / frs)
* Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital editorial network.
Video: Novitschok - What is behind the deadly warfare agent?
List of rubric lists: © Pavel Golovkin / AP / dpa