Russian opposition leader, Alexey Navalny — who is gravely ill after a suspected poisoning — has arrived at a hospital in Berlin following a medical evacuation flight from the Siberian city of Omsk, according to a CNN team on the ground.
The Kremlin critic was flown out of Russia on Saturday morning to receive treatment in the German capital. Jaka Bizilj, chairman for Cinema for Peace Foundation, which organized the medical evacuation, told CNN that Navalny is in a “stable condition.”
The hospital, Charite Berlin, confirmed on Saturday it had admitted the 44-year-old for medical treatment, adding in a statement posted to Twitter that an “extensive medical diagnosis” is being carried out.
Navalny, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is in a coma after becoming sick from suspected poisoning on a flight to Moscow from the Siberian city of Tomsk, his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said Thursday. The plane later made an urgent landing in Omsk, she added.
In a tweet marking Navalny’s departure, Yarmysh wrote: “The plane with Alexey flew to Berlin. Many thanks to everyone for their support. The struggle for Alexey’s life and health just begins, and there is still a lot to go through, but now at least the first step has been taken.”
Alexey Navalny was said to be in a “stable condition” on his arrival in Germany.
