According to Germany, there is glaring evidence that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent.
Chancellor Angela Merkel revealed that this is a case of attempted murder and the world now seeks answers from the Russian government.
Mr Navalny was flown to Berlin in a state of comatose after falling ill on a flight in Russia’s Siberia region last month.
His team alleged that he was poisoned on President Vladimir Putin’s orders. The Kremlin has dismissed the claims.
The Kremlin spokesman called on Germany for a full exchange of information and foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova complained the Novichok allegations were not supported with credible evidence. “Where are the facts, where are the formulas, at least some kind of information?” she asked.
A Novichok nerve agent was used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK in 2018. While they survived, a British woman later died in hospital. The UK accused Russia’s military intelligence of carrying out that attack.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the latest attack as “outrageous”. “The Russian government must now explain what happened to Mr Navalny – we will work with international partners to ensure justice is done,” he tweeted.
Germany Has Spoken
Chancellor Merkel announced that there were now “serious questions that only the Russian government can and must answer” following the toxicology results carried out at a military laboratory and released by the government in Berlin.
“Someone tried to silence [Mr Navalny] and in the name of the whole German government I condemn that in the strongest terms.”
Chancellor Merkel said Germany’s Nato and EU partners had been informed of the results of the investigation and they would decide on a common and appropriate response based on Russia’s reaction.
Mr Navalny’s wife Yulia Navalnaya and Russia’s ambassador to Germany would also be informed of the findings, the Berlin government said.
Mr Navalny fell ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow. His supporters suspect poison was placed in a cup of tea at Tomsk airport.
The flight of the prominent Putin critic was diverted to Omsk, where doctors treated him for three days before he was transferred to the Charité hospital in Berlin.
The Kremlin says Russian doctors administered atropine – which can be used to treat the effects of nerve agents – but found no evidence of poisoning.
Mrs Navalnaya said she feared Russian doctors had delayed his transfer as authorities were trying to wait for evidence of any chemical substance to disappear.
Doctors at Charité hospital have said his condition is continuing to improve but he remains in an intensive care unit on a ventilator.