Alleged Poisoning Of Russian President Alexei Navalny's Criticism Strengthens After Hospital Refuses To Move Him

JAKARTA - The leader of the Russian Opposition Alexei Navalny, who is famous for criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell into a coma after drinking tea thought to contain poison. The suspicion rose when the hospital refused the family's request to move him.

Doctor Navalny in Omsk, Siberia, said his condition improved overnight. But his life is still in danger.

The Siberian hospital treating Navalny said it was unable to comply with Navalny's family's request to move him. The reason they are worried about his clinical situation, amid claims from his team that the delay was to cover up the presence of "deadly substances" in Navalny's body.

According to CNN, Friday, August 21, Navalny was suspected of being poisoned on a flight back to Moscow from Tomsk, Siberia. The plane then made an emergency landing at Omsk. A medical plane has been sent by a German NGO to Omsk in hopes of evacuating Navalny to Berlin for treatment at Charite Hospital, Berlin, Germany.

When asked why moving Navalny might be dangerous, Omsk Hospital Chief Physician Alexander Murakhovsky said "anything can happen, even the saddest things are possible."

Navalny's team claims that the transport police in Omsk have detected a 'deadly substance' that threatens the lives of Navalny and those around him. They also say this is the reason why the hospital authorities didn't allow Navalny to be transferred.

Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalnaya, was convinced that the refusal to transfer Navalny to cover up the 'chemical substances' in Navalny's body.

"They refused to move him. They said they couldn't do it now and that he could not be transported even though two hours ago we were preparing documents for his transfer. That's why the transport police are actually here," said Yulia.

"After two hours passed, and the doctors refused to give Alexey to us so we could take him," added Yulia.

Meanwhile, Anatoly Kalinichenko said that doctors do not believe Navalny was poisoned. This is because no poison was found in Navalny's blood or urine.

"The poison or traces of its presence in the body have not been identified. Maybe the diagnosis of 'poisoning' is still far away in our minds. But we are not sure that the patient had poisoning," he added.

When asked if Navalny might be allowed to travel to Berlin, Murakhovsky said Omsk hospital had no contact from Charite hospital. But they have been in contact with a hospital in Moscow.

"I don't think that the specialists from Burdenko and Pirogov (the hospital in Moscow) are any worse than the hospital you mention. If the patient is stable, the specialists in our clinic and our doctors will not object to it (Navalny's transfer). But to today the transfer is too early, "he explained.