DISINFO: Germany misleads the world about Navalny case
SUMMARY
Germany misleads the world’s public about the Navalny case and does not inform Moscow of its findings.
Germany has so far left Russia’s inquiries regarding the alleged poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny unanswered.
Our German partners cannot give a normal clear answer to a single question. We once again call on Berlin to stop misleading the world’s public. The Federal Republic of Germany continues to persistently and quite obviously hide the true circumstances of what happened to Navalny, as well as his stay on its territory, not only from our country, but also from its own deputies.
The Kremlin announced that Berlin had not informed Moscow of its findings. The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed several times that Russia was waiting for a response from Germany to an official inquiry about the situation. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) also left Russia’s inquiries unanswered.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation narrative surrounding the poisoning of a prominent Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.
Alexei Navalny fell ill during a flight from Siberia to Moscow on the 20th of August. Initially hospitalised in Omsk, at the request of his family, he was transferred to Charité hospital in Berlin, where clinical findings indicated that he was poisoned with a substance from the group of cholinesterase inhibitors. Subsequent toxicological tests provided unequivocal evidence of a chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group in his blood samples.
Russia keeps trying to question these results. However, indisputable evidence exists. After Germany requested its technical assistance, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), of which Russia is a member, issued a statement verifying previous statements by the German authorities. Several reports have indicated that the OPCW tests showed that blood and urine samples contained a "cholinesterase inhibitor" similar to two Novichok chemicals that were banned by the Hague-based body in 2019. The OPCW findings corroborated earlier independent conclusions by German, French, and Swedish laboratories.
Also, Germany has responded to past Russian calls for Navalny's medical samples by saying that Russia should already have all it needs after its initial treatment of the dissident. Germany also informed Russia via diplomatic channels on the progress of the investigation.
Arne Collatz, a spokesman for Germany’s Defence Ministry said the data had been provided to the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
“This international organisation, of which Russia is also a member, has a treaty-based mandate to oversee and enforce the ban on the use, production, storage as well as research into chemical weapons.”
Furthermore, on September 11, Berlin’s Justice Ministry approved a request from Moscow for legal assistance in the investigation and information on Navalny’s state of health, “subject to his consent”.
The European Union condemned the poisoning of Alexei Navalny in the strongest possible terms.
Read similar disinfo cases alleging that the West did not respond to Russian initiatives to cooperate on the Navalny case, that Navalny was allegedly poisoned with Novichok, but no proof was provided and that Navalny prevented Germany sending evidence to Russia.