Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Navalny Was Poisoned, But His Life Isn't in Danger, German Hospital Says

Navalny Was Poisoned, But His Life Isn't in Danger, German Hospital Says

Alexei Navalny, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's most prominent critics, was poisoned by an unknown substance from a group of drugs that affect the nervous system, according to the German hospital that is treating the Russian opposition leader.
The drug is a cholinesterase inhibitor, meaning it disrupts the body's ability to break down acetylcholine - an important neurotransmitter in the brain and body.

Navalny remains in a medically induced coma in intensive care.

"While his condition is serious, it is not currently life-threatening," his hospital, the Charité Universitätsmedizin in Berlin, says.

Navalny is now being treated with an antidote called atropine; the medical team says there's the possibility of long-term effects on his health and particularly his nervous system.

Reporting on the clinical results of an "extensive examination" by a team of doctors, Charité says:

"Clinical findings indicate poisoning with a substance from the group of cholinesterase inhibitors. The specific substance involved remains unknown, and a further series of comprehensive testing has been initiated. The effect of the poison – namely, the inhibition of cholinesterase in the body – was confirmed by multiple tests in independent laboratories."

Because of those findings, Navalny's poisoning "is no longer a hypothesis, but a fact," his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said in a tweet.

Some cholinesterase inhibitors are used to treat neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. But others are used in insecticides and as nerve agents, according to the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The substances are sometimes also known by their longer name, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.

Well-known examples of the nerve agents include Sarin, Soman, and VX - the chemical that is believed to have killed the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2017.

Describing the effects of poisoning by one of the materials, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says, "Symptoms include sweating, salivation, miosis (pinpoint pupils), paralysis, respiratory failure, seizures and eventually death."

Doctors in Russia have claimed there were no traces of poison in Navalny's system, saying he was suffering from a blood sugar imbalance. But Yarmysh has insisted Navalny was poisoned since last Thursday, when he fell ill during a commercial flight from Siberia to Moscow. At the time, Yarmysh noted that the only thing Navalny had consumed was a cup of tea at the airport.

Navalny's condition rapidly deteriorated during the flight, and his plane made an emergency landing in the city of Omsk, where he spent more than a day in a local hospital.

Doctors in Omsk initially refused to authorize Navalny's transfer to Berlin, leading his family to ask the Kremlin to intervene - and to accuse the authorities of trying to cover up a potential attempt on his life.

A special medical evacuation plane chartered by a German nongovernmental organization brought Navalny to Germany in the early hours of Saturday.

Members of Navalny's camp, including his doctor, Anastasy Vasilyeva, say they believe the delay in releasing the politician for travel was an attempt to make it harder to detect any poison in his system.

This is the second time Navalny has been the victim of an apparent poisoning. The first instance came last summer, when he was hospitalized days after being jailed for calling for street protests.

Navalny is a powerful force for Russia's opposition, with a large online following that has grown despite scant coverage of him in state-approved media channels.

A number of Kremlin foes have been poisoned or killed during Putin's 20 years in power. The current circumstances bring to mind the targeted killing of Kremlin critic and former spy Alexander Litvinenko, who died after drinking tea that was laced with polonium-210 in a London hotel.

Other recent high-profile cases include the use of a Novichok nerve agent to poison former KGB spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the U.K.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×