Russian opposition leader recovers from coma in Berlin after suspected poisoning by Putin • Additional evidence of poisoning provided by France and Sweden
Alexei Navalny, the leader of the Russian opposition who was hospitalized in Germany after being allegedly poisoned by the Putin regime, said today (Tuesday) that he plans to return to Russia as soon as he fully recovers, a senior German security official told him.
Photo: Reuters
Navalny had been in a coma since arriving in Russia from the hospital in Berlin, and it was unclear what condition he would be in when he regained consciousness.
But the senior German official who met with him said he looked clear and sharp.
"He is fully aware of his condition, he is fully aware of what happened and he is fully aware of where he is," the senior said.
Yesterday, the German government announced that laboratories in France and Sweden had confirmed that the substance from which Nabalani was poisoned was a type of novichuk - a compound that affects the nervous system.
The results are consistent with the findings of the poisoning test performed in Berlin.
"Three laboratories have now independently provided evidence for material from the Novichuk group as a causative agent of poisoning," said German government spokesman Stefan Zeibert.
"We are renewing the call to Russia to explain what exactly happened there."
In his statement, a German government spokesman described the use of Nowychuk - a compound of powerful substances that attack the body's nervous system, developed by the Soviet Union and used at least once in an assassination attempt on Russian intelligence - as a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Navalny himself was placed under close guard by the German police at the hospital.
In his conversation with the German official, he refused to cooperate with a Russian request for a joint investigation of the case with Germany, adding that once he recovers - he plans to return to Russia.
"He has no plans to go into exile in Germany," the senior German official said.
"He wants to return home to Russia, and he wants to continue his mission."
Officials in Russia still insist that there is no evidence that Nablani was poisoned.
They suggested a number of alternative theories for the circumstances that caused it to collapse, including an overdose of drugs and low blood sugar.
The Navalny affair obscures the German-Russian relationship, which is already complicated.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, who usually talks to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone at least once a week, has not spoken to him since Navalny's poisoning - according to the German security source.
On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov canceled a meeting scheduled this week with his German counterpart, Haiko Mas.
Referring to the cancellation, the Russian Foreign Ministry did not mention the Navalny affair, saying that the cancellation of the meeting is due to congestion on the schedule.