Suspicion of poisoning puts Kremlin critic's mother in hospital
The mother of a well-known Russian opposition figure has been admitted to a German clinic. She suspects an attempt was made to poison her.
18 December 2024 21:31
The mother of prominent Russian oppositionist and Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza was admitted to Berlin's Charite clinic. The woman claims that an attempt was made to poison her, and the German police are conducting an investigation into the suspicion of attempted murder.
According to a report from the Berlin police on Platform X on Tuesday, December 17th, a woman alerted the clinic's medical staff of suspected poisoning. She was subsequently transferred to the isolation ward at the Charité hospital, where comprehensive blood tests for various toxic substances are being conducted. Authorities also confirmed that all necessary police actions are in progress to safeguard public safety and identify potential suspects.
The first test is negative
Vladimir Kara-Murza confirmed that his mother is being treated at the Charite clinic. However, suspicions of attempted poisoning or a heart attack were not confirmed – he wrote on X. This diagnosis was not made at Charite – reported German media, citing information from the clinic's spokesperson.
The newspaper "Der Tagesspiegel" reported, citing "security circles," that initial suspicions were of poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok. However, the result of the first rapid blood test was negative, as reported in the Berlin newspaper. It was then supposed to proceed with an extensive blood examination, and the police were to search the victim’s flat.
Two poison attacks
Kara-Murza is one of the most well-known oppositionists in Russia and a critic of Vladimir Putin. In April 2023, he was sentenced to 25 years on treason charges. In August of this year, as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, he was expelled from Russia. He has already survived two attempts on his life by poison.
After his release, Kara-Murza did not immediately go to the USA, where his wife and daughters live for safety reasons, but stayed in Germany. His mother has been living in Berlin for a long time.
Navalny, Novichok, and Charite
An attempt was also made to poison Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny with Novichok in August 2020. Shortly afterwards, he was transported to Berlin's Charite and was treated there for several weeks. Upon returning to Russia in January 2021, he was arrested and, after several trials, sentenced to 19 years in a penal colony.
In February of this year, the 47-year-old Navalny unexpectedly died in the penal colony.
