Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has blamed President Vladimir Putin for his near-fatal poisoning in his first major interview after being discharged from a Berlin hospital.
Navalny spent 16 days in a coma after falling violently ill on a flight in Siberia on Aug. 20 in what his aides call an assassination attempt. Germany says it has unequivocal proof backed by French and Swedish scientists that the Russian opposition leader was poisoned by Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent.
“I claim that Putin is behind this crime; I don’t have any other versions of what happened,” Navalny told the Der Spiegel news magazine, according to an excerpt of the interview published Thursday.
The 44-year-old anti-corruption campaigner was airlifted from Siberia to Berlin’s Charité hospital two days after falling ill. He was discharged from inpatient care last week and is currently undergoing rehab.
Navalny confirmed reports that he plans to return to Russia after his recovery, telling Der Spiegel: “My job now is to remain the guy who is not afraid. And I’m not afraid!”
European countries have threatened sanctions against Russia over Navalny’s suspected poisoning. EU leaders are scheduled to discuss the poisoning and other foreign affairs issues in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
Russia has denied any involvement in the incident, saying that Navalny either had a metabolic disease or low blood sugar and complaining that it has not seen any evidence from Germany.
(c) The Moscow Times
He is a brave man, but also a dead man, if he returns to RuSSia.
His choice. I won’t miss him one way or the other. He’s certainly no Nemtsov, a true friend to Ukraine.
That’s why the krauts support him. I can’t recall them supporting Nemtsov. Only the US did.
Yeah, they make more noise about Navalny, than the assassinations carried out by Russia in Germany.
The krauts have decided that they can do business with Navalny. In the unlikely event that he was to get hold of power (0.001%), nothing much would change. One fascist dictator would be replaced by another, albeit considerably less malignant one. Navalny would keep Crimea and has even more hatred of Georgia than the rodent. But of course his gratitude to Germany for saving his life would enable close and profitable relations with Russia at Ukraine’s expense.