The Kremlin downplayed calls for an investigation into a top political dissident who was evacuated from a Siberian hospital after becoming critically ill.
Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell ill on his private plane last week in Russia before being rushed to a hospital in Omsk, where doctors managed to stabilize his condition by placing him in a coma. Navalny was flown to the Charite Hospital in Berlin on Saturday, where doctors said tests indicated he had been poisoned.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has led calls for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Navalny’s health. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the need for an inquiry, arguing that doctors had yet to confirm the substance that afflicted Navalny and that they were “rushing” to claim he was poisoned.
“There must be a reason for an investigation,” Peskov said on Monday. “For the moment, all you and I see is that the patient is in a coma.”
Peskov added that Russian officials would open an investigation if evidence is shown that Navalny was poisoned. German officials confirmed they are guarding Navalny’s room while he is being treated in hospital.
