The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia's ability to investigate the alleged poisoning of opposition politician Alexei Navalny was "limited" and accused his colleagues of taking possible evidence outside the country.
Members of Navalny's team said Thursday
that German experts found a Soviet-made designer nerve agent, Novichok, in a
water bottle taken from a Siberian hotel room where the Kremlin had been ill
before the enemy fell ill last month.
The bottle appears to be key evidence of
Germany's conclusion that President Vladimir Putin's 44-year-old correspondent
was poisoned by illicit chemical weapons.
On Friday, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov
reiterated complaints that Moscow's hands were tied’ because Germany had not
yet shared its findings with Russia and accused Navalny's associates of
removing possible evidence.
"Unfortunately, our ability to
conduct an investigation is really limited," Peskov told reporters.
"If the bottle had been there, it
would have been taken somewhere in Germany," he said. Unfortunately, what
could have been a piece of evidence to prove the poison was taken’ out.
Another question is why? "
But he also lamented Germany's findings,
saying it would not be possible to take the nerve agent-identifying bottle out
of the country because the person had "no time" because the substance
was toxic. Will be.
Navalny's team collected the bottle and
other items from her room on August 20 upon hearing the news of her illness.
The team said it was clear that the
Russian leadership would not be interested’ in conducting a proper
investigation.
Russia has denied "uncertain
claims" about the incident, saying its doctors had found no trace of the
toxin.
Navalny is being treated in a Berlin
hospital and said on Tuesday that he was breathing for the first time without
medical’ attention.
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