The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia has refused to open a criminal case under Article 355 of the Russian Criminal Code on the development, production and storage of banned chemical weapons in connection with the poisoning of oppositionist Alexei Navalny, reported lawyers of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation with reference to the response of the Investigative Directorate of the FSB.

According to the FSB, there are no grounds for any “procedural decisions” because “other law enforcement agencies” already verified the facts brought up by the plaintiffs. Under “other law enforcement agencies”, the FSB was referring to the transport department of the Russian Interior Ministry in the Siberian Federal District.

In turn, Lawyers of the Anti-Corruption Foundation appealed to the Lefortovsky Court of Moscow with a complaint under article 125 of the criminal code “on illegal inaction” of the FSB.

Alexey Navalny lost consciousness on August 20 aboard a plane en route from Tomsk to Moscow. After an emergency landing in Omsk, the oppositionist was hospitalized. On August 22, he was taken to Berlin for treatment. The Russian politician was in an induced coma for 19 days.

At the request of Berlin Charite Hospital, experts from the German Armed Forces Special Laboratory conducted a toxicological analysis of samples taken from Navalny and found traces of the neuro-paralytic substance of the Novichok type. Laboratories in Sweden and France, as well as OPCW experts, later came to similar conclusions. The Russian authorities deny all accusations of involvement in the assassination attempt on Navalny.

(C)UAWIRE 2020