German military toxicologists find traces of Novichok in Russian opposition figure Navalny’s blood, urine & skin – Der Spiegel

Specialists from Munich Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology have found Alexey Navalny had traces of a poison from the Novichok family in his system, as well as in a bottle he was carrying on the flight where he became unwell.

That's according to Gemany's leading news magazine Der Spiegel, which cited government sources. The report says the substance was found in the anti-corruption activist's blood and urine and also on his skin. The disclosure comes as Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, also on Friday, revealed that German authorities have promised to present to Russia concrete facts concerning their findings.

Bundeswehr [German military] specialists who presented the examination results claimed that “undoubtedly, the poison belongs to the Novichok family,” Der Spiegel insists. According to the magazine it was also in the bottle, which was allegedly handed to the German medics by Navalny's family.

“The Charite Clinic [in Berlin] quickly brought the Bundeswehr into the investigation. Soon, civilian experts in Berlin concluded that Navalny had been poisoned,” it continues. “But the substance itself could not be isolated. It took the Bundeswehr several days in a special laboratory in Munich to come to a clear conclusion that Navalny was in contact with poison from the Novichok group.”

Meanwhile, Lavrov said that Moscow is still waiting for the results from Berlin. He stressed that, according to Russian sources, the delay is because of the German foreign ministry. “Today we asked our counterparts in the European Union and in Germany once again if German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been accusing us of this wrongdoing, of this alleged poisoning, for two days now, but is still unable to present any proof, if she has any plans to give instructions to her subordinates to see to it that there is a reply from the German Ministry of Justice to the Prosecutor General’s query,” the foreign minister explained.

“Now, I am forced to say out loud that, according to our sources, this reply is being delayed due to the Foreign Ministry’s stance,” Lavrov said. “We have instructed our ambassador to ask corresponding questions and to inquire into what is behind the delay. We’ve been promised today that an answer will follow shortly. When there is a reply containing concrete facts, which, as far as I understand, the Germans believe will be there, then we will react to it.”

On August 20, a plane carrying Navalny made an emergency landing in Omsk after the blogger suddenly felt unwell on a flight from Siberia to Moscow. Navalny was taken to hospital in a coma and was put on a ventilator. On August 22, he was flown to Germany for treatment. German doctors said on August 24 that they had found signs of Navalny’s intoxication with substances from the cholinesterase inhibitors group. The doctors added that there was no threat to his life but there was the possibility of long-term effects on his nervous system.

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