DISINFO: Real aim of German statement on Navalny's poisoning is to impose new sanctions
SUMMARY
The real aims of Germany’s statement that Aleksey Navalny was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok are probably to hinder the Nord Stream 2 project and to impose new sanctions on Russia. The German government has adopted a political position based on ideology. This is why it did not take seriously the opinion of Russian doctors nor that of Professor Leonid Rink, who was involved in the development of Novichok. After Berlin’s announcement about the alleged poisoning of Navalny, a media campaign was launched in order to spread unilateral “evidence” aimed at blaming Russia. The objective is to create tensions between Russia and the West, to put pressure on the Russian Presidency and perhaps to impose sanctions on Russia. A scenario similar to that of other alleged poisonings of Russian opposition figures and former intelligence officials (Litvinenko, Skripal, Verzilov, Kara-Murza) is being played out.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the poisoning of Alexei Navalny. A prominent Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny fell ill during a flight from Siberia to Moscow on the 20th of August. Initially hospitalized in Omsk, at the request of his family he was transferred to Charité hospital in Berlin. Clinical findings at the Charité hospital indicated that Navalny 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 the blood samples of Alexei Navalny. There is no evidence what so ever to claim that the poisoning is in any way related to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets frequently present a variety of mutually exclusive versions of what happened to Alexei Navalny and who could allegedly "benefit" from the poisoning. Similar techniques were used to sow doubt about the poisoning of Sergei Skripal with the nerve agent Novichok by GRU agents. See related disinformation cases alleging that the West has an interest in the death of Navalny to launch a new wave of sanctions against Russia and that the West will falsely accuse Russia of poisoning Navalny, as with Skripal and Litvinenko.