Russian government inconclusive on Navalny poisoning

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 28 Aug 2020 by Alex Teddy

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The government said there is no evidence to suspect that anti-corruption campaigner Navalny was poisoned. He was rushed to hospital after collapsing on a plane in agonizing paroxysms before being induced into a coma. Russian doctors were of differing opinions as to whether he was poisoned, and so were the police, but a stated poison was not found in his blood at the time of examination. After some vacillating he was allowed to be flown to Germany for treatment. The doctors there concluded he was poisoned. Moscow said that the Germans were jumping to conclusions as they had not identified the supposed poison. Moscow at first said there was nothing to investigate about Navalny's illness. He was served tea in Tomsk Airport on August 20. Navalny is under heavy police surveillance during much of his life around Russia. This is the second time that Navalny was apparently poisoned. On August 24 Navalny's lawyer requested that the Investigative Committee look at his case as attempted murder. There was no response. Navalny has been a thorn in the side of the establishment, even if never a serious challenge to power. But the 44-year-old Muscovite lawyer is not that unacceptable. He has never spent a long stint in jail.Yevgeny Prigozhin said he intends to bankrupt Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation with lawsuits but then also purchase the outfit's debt. Prigozhin is known by some media as "Putin's chef" for his St. Petersburg restaurant business. He is a prominent and controversial billionaire.