Putin critic begins treatment in Germany after suspected poisoning

A top Russian opposition figure who is believed to have been poisoned by government agents has begun receiving treatment in Germany after he was initially prevented from leaving Russia. 

Alexei Navalny, considered the unofficial leader of the Russian opposition and a top critic of President Vladimir Putin, is receiving help at the Charité-Universitätsmedizin hospital in Berlin after falling ill on a flight to Moscow from Siberia. He is believed to have drunk tea laced with poison, a tool used in the past by Putin’s government against vocal critics.

It is the second time Navalny is believed to have been poisoned, though the first incident was officially ruled as an allergic reaction.

A spokesperson for Navalny said tests are still being run in Berlin but his condition is stable. He added that German Chancellor Angela Merkel played a role in bringing Navalny to Berlin.

Navalny, 44, has been in a coma since Thursday. 

Russian officials had initially prevented him from leaving the country but succumbed to an avalanche of international pressure Friday, allowing him and his wife to go to Germany. 

Several lawmakers in the U.S. have expressed support for Navalny and panned Putin over the suspected poisoning. 

“The Russian people will reach a tipping point where they tire of Putin and his cronies plundering the nation and sowing discord throughout the world — all at the expense of the average Russian,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a prominent foreign policy hawk and Russia critic.