I don't know if this is happening on purpose or not, but the coverage of the situation with Alexei Navalny includes elements of an information war.
Was it possible to act in a spirit of cooperation?
Certainly.
Why isn't this happening?
The question is open.
So it turns out that every statement made in Germany sounds like an aggravation game.
With the Americans, everything is clear: any cooling between Russia, Germany and the European Union plays into their hands.
In addition, during the presidential campaign, Trump's headquarters and administration deliberately choose harsh rhetoric.
The poison, according to Bundeswehr experts, has been installed.
And in this paradigm, the responsibility is already assigned to the Russian authorities.
A full investigation has been requested.
The threat of possible sanctions has been voiced, and even Nord Stream 2, in which both Germany and 100 European contractor companies are interested, is becoming a bargaining chip in the political confrontation.
Let me remind you that the Russian side had only 44 hours to save the life of Alexei Navalny.
They coped with this task.
There were no obstacles for the arrival of German doctors and the transportation of Alexei to Germany.
That is, everything that depended on the Russian authorities was done as soon as possible.
For comparison: after 44 hours of Navalny's stay in Germany, no statements were made about the reasons for his condition by the Germans.
Okay, so you demand an investigation and say that the poison has been installed.
The Prosecutor General's Office makes an official request under the legal aid agreement.
The request, according to Sergei Lavrov, at first remains unanswered for ten days, and then the Germans report that there will be no information.
Like, we will understand the Bundeswehr's capabilities in the field of chemicals by the details of the answer.
A natural question arises: how can a pre-investigation check be carried out without receiving any information?
After all, it is in it that the essence of a possible crime lies.
One cannot understand anything on the basis of words alone.
By the way, I am sure that the information received from Russia would be no less important for the German side.
We, as you know, do not deny her anything and simply call for an open and transparent investigation.
After all, if the question is to establish the truth in the reasons for Alexei's condition, the joint Russian-German commission could overcome the atmosphere of mistrust.
So far, I do not see the interest of the German side in this.
Unilateral conclusions will always be worse than teamwork.
I would like to hope (despite the low chances) that the firm position of the Foreign Ministry will turn this situation around.
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.