▲ Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalni
After falling into a coma, a toxic substance was found in Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalni, who is being treated in Germany.
Spiegel Online and the Associated Press reported that the Berlin Charite Hospital, where Navalni is hospitalized, has found cholinesterase inhibitors in the body as a result of examination.
Cholinesterase inhibitors are agents that inhibit the hydrolytic enzyme of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter.
It is used in a variety of drugs, including nerve agents and pesticides.
When cholinesterase is used as a nerve agent, it can increase the concentration of acetylcholine in the nervous system, causing paralysis of the respiratory muscles or stopping the heartbeat.
Belgian chemical weapons expert Jean-Pascal Sanders told Spiegel Online that "the discovery of a cholinesterase inhibitor means that some neurotoxin was used." Said.
However, Charite Hospital explained that the specific substance Navalni was exposed to has not yet been identified.
Charite Hospital said Navalni, who is hospitalized in the intensive care unit, is in a serious coma and has no harm to his life.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a joint statement with Foreign Minister Heiko Mas after the hospital's announcement demanded Russia to transparently investigate the case and hold the perpetrators accountable.
Russian health officials countered a test at the Omsk emergency hospital in Russia, which treated Navalni, saying it tested negative for a wide range of toxic substances, including cholinesterase inhibitors, Reuters reported.
Unlike the German medical staff, the medical staff at the Omsk Emergency Hospital diagnosed it as a metabolic disorder caused by lower blood sugar, saying that Navalni did not find any traces of poison.
(Photo = EPA, Yonhap News)