Navalny Possibly Poisoned in Hotel Room, Not Airport Cafe... 'Traces of Poison Found in Water Bottle'

Possibility of Infection at Hotel, Not Airport Cafe

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] New evidence has emerged regarding the poisoning route of Russian opposition activist Aleksei Navalni, who was poisoned with the military nerve agent Novichok and was receiving treatment in Germany. Initially, it was reported that he collapsed on the plane after drinking tea at a panic cafe, but there is now a claim that he was poisoned earlier through a plastic water bottle in his hotel room.

Water bottles from the hotel room where Alexei Navalny stayed before collapsing due to poison. Navalny supporters claimed that traces of poison were found in the water bottles.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On the 17th (local time), Navalni's supporters announced via social networking services (SNS) that traces of Novichok were found in a plastic water bottle collected from the Siberian Tomsk hotel room where Navalni stayed before collapsing.

Navalni boarded a flight to Moscow on the 20th of last month but lost consciousness and collapsed. The plane returned, and he was treated at a hospital in Siberia before being transferred to Berlin with the support of German civic groups for further treatment. German medical staff confirmed poisoning by a toxic substance during treatment of the unconscious Navalni, and federal military research facility tests revealed that Navalni was poisoned with the military nerve agent Novichok.

Initially, it was believed that Navalni left the hotel, drank tea at a panic cafe, and then boarded the plane, leading to speculation that the poison was in the tea or similar. However, Navalni's close associates considered the possibility that something might have happened at the hotel and collected items from the room.

Germany and other countries are demanding that Russia clarify how Navalni was poisoned. Meanwhile, Russia has neither acknowledged that Navalni was poisoned nor initiated an investigation.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The plastic water bottle and other items secured by Navalni's associates were also confirmed by a German testing facility. According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), these supporters suspect that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government were involved in the poisoning process of Navalni.

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