Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has had his ventilator taken off and can leave his bed for a short time.
In a major
update, Berlin's Charity Hospital said Navalny's condition was
"improving" and indicated he was able to speak. It states that the
latest news of his health has come to light after consultation with Navalny and
his wife.
German medical
experts have warned that it is too early to say whether Navalny will fully
recover. But the fact that he is out of a medically motivated coma and able to
walk a little is the most positive sign to date.
Navalny fell
on August 20 after drinking a cup of tea at Tomsk Airport in Siberia. Two days
later he was flown’ from Russia to Berlin and went on a ventilator for more
than three weeks. He fainted while doctors treated him with antidote atropine.
Navalny's
aides welcomed the Berlin news. His press secretary, Kira Yarmysh, said the
opposition leader was "completely disconnected" from the ventilator
and could stand.
German
Chancellor Angela Merkel revealed earlier this month that Navalny had been
poisoned in March 2018 in Salisbury, south-west England, by a deadly Russian
nerve agent, Novichok, used in a march against Sergei and Yulia Skripal’. Was
He and other world leaders have called on Russia to provide answers and conduct
a transparent investigation.
On Monday,
Berlin said French and Swedish laboratories had confirmed to Germany that Novichok
had been used’ to poison Neville. Ellis said French President Emmanuel Macron
had called Russian President Vladimir Putin and asked him to explain what had
happened.
In a
statement, Macron's office said: "The President expressed deep concern
over the criminal act against Alexei Navalny and stressed the need to
immediately shed light on the events and responsibilities of this move."
Macron added
that the use of Novichok violates "international rules on the use of
chemical weapons." It is unclear whether the EU will impose sanctions on
Moscow, which denies any involvement and says there is no evidence that Navalny
was poisoned.
Macaulay's
efforts to resume talks with Putin have been jeopardized’ said Les Echos, a
financial analyst. The announcement of relations between Paris and Moscow was
made’ on July 14 with the Russian Deputy Minister of Defense and Deputy Foreign
Minister as VIP guests at the French Embassy Bastille Day celebrations.
The invitation
follows a lengthy video conference between Macron and Putin, during which
Macron accepted Putin's invitation to "strategic dialogue" in Moscow
in September.
News magazine
L'Express reported that Macron had told diplomats and ambassadors last year
that it was important to renew France's relations with Russia. According toEl
Express, Macron will be listening to former Secretary of State Hubert Védrine,
who has expressed the view that "relations with Russia worse than they are
today are absolutely baseless."
Meanwhile,
Navalny's supporters won city council seats in Siberia after Sunday's regional
elections. For both Novosibirsk and Tomsk, the heads of Navalny's offices
succeeded.
Navalny went
to Tomsk to promote his "smart voting" campaign when he was poisoned’
at the airport on his way back to Moscow. Kenya Fadeyeva, a 28-year-old head of
Navalny's Tomsk office, said she won a city council seat with another Navalny
colleague.
"This is
the first victory of the head of the Navalny office. It was in Tomsk where
Navalny was poisoned," Ivan Zhdanov, director of the Anti-Corruption
Foundation of Opposition Politicians, said on Twitter.
READ MORE
0 Comments