Demonstration for Alexei Nalvany, illustration -

Elena Ignatyeva / AP / SIPA

French and Swedish laboratories have analyzed “samples taken” from Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, hospitalized in Berlin, and confirmed poisoning by a Novichok-type nerve agent, the German government announced on Monday.

A German military laboratory had already concluded on September 3 that the Russian opponent, aged 44, had been poisoned by this powerful nerve agent, which Moscow disputes.

Confirmation of German evidence

"The German government has also asked other European partners, namely France and Sweden, to independently verify German evidence on the basis of new samples taken from Alexeï Navalny," the spokesman said in a statement. from the German government, Steffen Seibert.

“The results of this examination by special laboratories in France and Sweden are now available and confirm the German evidence,” he announced.

"Three laboratories have now independently provided proof that a neurotoxic agent from the Novichok group is the cause of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny," asserts Steffen Seibert.

Good clarification from Russia

The use of Novichok "constitutes a serious violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention", further reminds the spokesperson.

Berlin “therefore asked the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the analysis of the evidence in the Navalny affair”, adds Steffen Seibert, specifying that the Chemical Weapons Convention provided in particular “for all States signatories to receive technical assistance from the OPCW ”.

The OPCW thus “took samples from Alexei Navalny and took the necessary measures to have them analyzed by the OPCW's reference laboratories”, specifies Steffen Seibert.

"We renew the appeal launched to Russia so that it brings clarifications to what happened", warns the spokesperson.

Russia had detected no toxic substances

“We are in close contact with our European partners about the next steps,” he concludes.

Russian police announced on Friday that they wanted to question the opponent who was the victim of poisoning in Germany, according to his supporters, on August 20 during a trip to Siberia, accusations deemed anti-Russian and unfounded by Moscow.

Russia has demanded that Berlin hand over its entire file on the Russian opponent, including the analyzes of a German military laboratory that identified a Novichok-type substance.

The Russian authorities affirm that their analyzes, carried out during the hospitalization of the opponent in Omsk (Siberia), before his transfer to Germany, had not revealed any toxic substance in the body of Alexeï Navalny, released from the coma on September 7.

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