Navalny poisoningGermany: Two Independent Foreign Labs Confirm Navalny Poisoned with Novichok

Germany says independent reviews by laboratories in France and Sweden have confirmed evidence that Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent from the Novichok group.

“Three laboratories have now independently provided evidence of a nerve agent from the Novichok group as the cause of Mr. Navalny’s poisoning. We renew the call for Russia to explain what has happened. We are in close contact with our European partners on further steps,” the German government said in a statement on 14 September in announcing the corroborative findings.

Navalny suddenly fell ill on a Russian domestic flight on 20 August and was medically evacuated to Germany on a request by his wife several days later.

German experts say the 44-year-old anti-corruption campaigner and Russian opposition leader was poisoned with a Soviet-style military nerve agent from the Novichok group, prompting international calls on Russia to swiftly investigate the case.

Russian authorities have refused to open a criminal investigation, saying that no hard evidence of poisoning has been found.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on 9 September that there is a strong chance the poisoning was ordered by senior officials in Moscow.

Navalny’s team, his relatives, and others also believe that Russian authorities are behind the poisoning. The Kremlin has vehemently denied the allegations.

This article is reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).