Alexei Navalny ally blames Kremlin and Vladimir Putin for Novichok poisoning of politician
Telegraph, 03 Sep 2020
Alexei Navalny's top strategist has openly blamed Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin for the poisoning of the opposition politician.
"It was a big surprise. It was quite a shock. We didn't doubt it was a poison, but the fact that they have chosen Mr. Putin's favourite signature poison is still a surprise," said Leonid Volkov.
Mr Navalny fell ill on a flight to Moscow on 20 August.
More than a week ago he was taken to a hospital in Berlin where authorities confirmed tests showed that he had been poisoned with a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group.
"I don't know what legal consequences this should be," Volkov said. "But I know for sure what I want to have as an outcome, and this is the political or a moral, ethical consequence: I really want that no foreign leader ever would shake hands with Mr. Putin."
A spokesman for President Putin dismissed allegations that the Kremlin was involved in the poisoning.
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"It was a big surprise. It was quite a shock. We didn't doubt it was a poison, but the fact that they have chosen Mr. Putin's favourite signature poison is still a surprise," said Leonid Volkov.
Mr Navalny fell ill on a flight to Moscow on 20 August.
More than a week ago he was taken to a hospital in Berlin where authorities confirmed tests showed that he had been poisoned with a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group.
"I don't know what legal consequences this should be," Volkov said. "But I know for sure what I want to have as an outcome, and this is the political or a moral, ethical consequence: I really want that no foreign leader ever would shake hands with Mr. Putin."
A spokesman for President Putin dismissed allegations that the Kremlin was involved in the poisoning.
Get the latest headlines: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Telegraph.co.uk and YouTube.com/TelegraphTV are websites of The Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.
