Russian opponent Alexei Navalny transferred to Berlin hospital

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The medical plane carrying the main Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, in a coma after what his entourage claims to be "poisoning", landed in Berlin this Saturday morning. The opponent of Vladimir Poutine must be treated at the La Charité hospital.

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This departure comes after a day of arm wrestling between his relatives and Russian doctors over his evacuation. “  Thank you all for your perseverance. Without your support, we couldn't have taken her!  », Thanked on Instagram the wife of the opponent, Yulia Navalnaïa, who accompanies him on the flight, posting a photo of her husband's stretcher on the plane.

“  The plane with Alexey flew to Berlin. Many thanks to everyone for your support. The fight for Alexei's life and health has only just begun, and there is still a lot to go through, but now at least the first step has been taken,  ”the spokeswoman for the opponent, Kira Iarmych .

The medical aircraft of the German NGO, Cinema for Peace, landed at Berlin's Tegel airport shortly before 9 a.m. local time. The Russian hospital where the opponent was admitted on Thursday gave the green light to his transport to Germany on Friday, saying his condition was "  stable  ", after initially opposing it .

Several ambulances were waiting for the Russian patient in the military part of the airport, reports our correspondent in Germany,  Nathalie Versieux . From there, Alexeï Navalny was taken to the Charité University Hospital, one of the most famous in Europe. La Charité had already welcomed in 2018 Piotr Versilov, another opponent of Vladimir Poutine and member of the punk group Pussy Riot, also a victim of mysterious evils. German doctors had concluded that there was a probable poisoning.

His relatives did everything to ensure that he was transferred to Europe

From the start, the nerves of those close to him were strained. Those who were present in Omsk denounced the opacity that reigned on the spot: contradictory communication, the presence of unidentified individuals in the establishment, reports our correspondent in Moscow, Étienne Bouche . On social media, they showed how they had been kept away from German doctors who came to the hospital.

Under these conditions, the relatives of Alexeï Navalny tried everything: addressed a letter to Vladimir Poutine, requested the European Court of Human Rights. On the Twitter network, they showed everything, shared everything, with the aim of provoking an international reaction. As a result, they obtained visible support: that of Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, British parliamentarians… For the activist Vladimir Milov, “  Putin understood that his attempt to present Navalny as a ' marginal blogger'  had failed miserably.  ".

Of course, the Navalny team believes that a lot of time has been lost - it should be remembered that the medical plane from Nuremberg had been parked on the tarmac since Friday morning - but this mobilization will have ended up paying off. However, optimism remains very moderate since Alexeï Navalny is still in serious condition.

"Intentional poisoning"

 Those around him claim that he was the victim of "  intentional poisoning with something mixed with his tea  ". Russian doctors have assured them that they have detected "  no poison  " in the blood and urine of Alexey Navalny, claiming to favor the hypothesis of a "  carbohydrate imbalance  ", caused by a drop in blood sugar levels .

The regional Interior Ministry said police took an industrial chemical from the man and his baggage, although doctors said it would not have made him feel unwell. The private medical plane arrived in Omsk on Friday morning, but Russian doctors initially refused the evacuation of Alexey Navalny, saying his condition was too unstable.

Navalny's spokeswoman attributed the refusal to an intention to "  buy time and wait until the poison can no longer be detected in his body  ." The hospital finally gave its agreement in the evening, after the examination by the German doctors of the patient, a letter from his wife Yulia Navalnaya asking President Vladimir Putin to authorize the evacuation and after that the family of the opponent seized the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

►Also read: The main Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny between life and death

( With Agencies )

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