Russian Opposition Activist Navalny Recovers Consciousness After Poisoning

German Hospital "Responds to Verbal Stimuli", "Too Early to Judge Aftereffects"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, known to have been poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok used for military purposes, has regained consciousness. Although his condition has improved, it is reported that it is still necessary to observe whether there will be any aftereffects.

Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, known to be poisoned with a toxic substance.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 7th (local time), Berlin's Charit? Hospital announced that Navalny, who had lost consciousness due to poisoning, has awakened. Navalny has been taken off the ventilator and is reportedly responding to stimuli. The hospital stated, "He is responding to verbal stimuli," and added, "It is still too early to determine the extent of any aftereffects caused by the poisoning."

Navalny collapsed on a flight returning from Siberia to Moscow on the 20th of last month. Those close to Navalny believe that poison was administered through the tea he drank before boarding the plane. Although he received treatment in Russia, he was transferred to Germany for treatment with the help of his family’s appeals and German civic groups.

The German government confirmed through tests conducted by the German Federal Armed Forces Institute that Novichok, a nerve agent, was present in Navalny’s body. Novichok is a military nerve agent developed by the former Soviet Union and gained worldwide attention in 2018 when Sergei Skripal, a double agent who defected from Russia, and his daughter Yulia were poisoned.

The Russian government denies any involvement in this incident.

Meanwhile, Germany is demanding a thorough investigation from Russia regarding this matter. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in an interview with the German weekly newspaper Bild am Sonntag, "I hope that Germany’s opinion of Russia will not change due to Russia’s refusal to participate in a joint investigation into Navalny’s poisoning," and added, "If Germany does not receive cooperation on this issue within a few days, we will begin discussions with neighboring countries on how to respond."

In Germany, public discussions are underway about imposing sanctions on Russia related to this incident. Among the measures considered is Nord Stream 2, the natural gas pipeline project connecting Russia and Germany via the sea. However, since the incident occurred in Russia, it is difficult to investigate, and identifying the perpetrator and verifying the facts is challenging, making it difficult to proceed to sanctions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.