Navalny arrives in Germany despite allies’ claim of Russia ban

Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition figure who is reportedly suffering a serious health condition, has arrived in Germany for medical treatment despite claims Moscow has banned his transport.

According to flight tracking data, an ambulance aircraft carrying Navalny landed at Berlin's Tegel airport on Saturday morning and was then transferred to the city’s Charite hospital for treatment.

Kira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokeswoman, also confirmed the landing in a tweet and said, "The plane with Alexei just landed in Berlin.”

The 44-year-old collapsed after drinking tea during a flight from the Siberian city of Omsk to the Russian capital of Moscow on Thursday night and his plane was forced to make an emergency landing due to a sudden deterioration of his health.

Navalny’s team claimed that the drink had been doctored, accusing Moscow of poisoning the Russian opposition figure and ordering a ban on transporting him in “an attempt on his life.”

This is while Navalny's wife Yulia had sent a letter to the Kremlin directly and demanded that Moscow intervene and grant permission for him to be allowed to be flown out.

Doctors in Omsk finally allowed Navalny to depart for Germany at the request of his wife and friends, who said that the hospital treating him was badly equipped.

Health officials in Germany have described Navalny's condition as "stable" after landing in the country.

Moreover, Russian doctors said tests did not find any trace of poison, adding that Navalny appeared to have a "metabolic disorder" and that he suffered a sharp drop in blood sugar levels.

No trace of poison found in Navalny tests: Russian doctor

A senior doctor in a Russian hospital says no traces of poison has been found in Alexei Navalny

Despite Russia's dismissal of any foul play, there is speculation that certain actors might have been trying to implicate Moscow and use it as a lever of pressure. 

Navalny attracted attention when rallies against Russian President Vladimir Putin took place in Russia in 2011 and 2012 following allegations of vote-rigging in parliamentary polls.

The opposition figure was barred from running for president in that year’s presidential election in March over a string of administrative and criminal charges. He has rejected those charges as “politically-motivated.”

Russia opposition figure released from jail

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is released after a mere 20 days in jail over charges of staging illegal protests.

The new allegation is the latest in a series of accusations against Moscow that includes the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a former double spy, and his daughter in Salisbury in southern England.     

Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the alleged attack which left Skripal unconscious for weeks. 

Putin said back then that the Skripals case benefited London more than Moscow.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk