Europe

Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Arrives At Berlin Hospital

A spokesperson for Navalny said he fell ill from a suspected poisoning.

Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Arrives At Berlin Hospital
Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP
SMS

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has arrived at a Berlin hospital after a suspected poisoning. The German non-governmental organization that facilitated the airlift reports he is in "stable condition."

Doctors haven't formally confirmed he was poisoned. The hospital says it is carrying out an "extensive medical diagnosis."

The 44-year-old anti-corruption blogger reported being sickened on a flight back to Moscow. That prompted the plane to make an emergency landing. His spokesperson said he only drank black tea in an airport cafe before the flight. 

Navalny was first sent to a Russian hospital. Doctors there said there was no poison was found in Navalny's blood or urine. But his team said transport police detected a "deadly substance."

Navalny was hospitalized last year in what his doctor said was also a suspected poisoning, though it was officially diagnosed as an allergic attack. Nalvany is a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In past years, several other Russian opposition figures have become sick by suspected poisonings.