Alexey Navalny has for several years now been a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, as many feared, the Russian government has now lived up to dictatorial tendencies.
This comes as Navalny has been in a Berlin hospital for the past two weeks after falling violently ill on a domestic flight in Russia and being evacuated to the German capital for treatment.
Following this apparent attempted murder, Moscow’s relations with the West could very much deteriorate even further.
This worsened relationship has already begun with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pointing the finger at Russia over the poisoning of Navalny, calling the attack “appalling” but stopping short of any immediate concrete response.
“All allies today were united in condemning this attack,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels Friday after hosting a meeting with NATO envoys.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that tests showed “unequivocally” Navalny was poisoned by a military-grade novichok nerve agent.
This same substance was used in the attempted murder in March 2018 of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter on British soil — an act that prompted an expulsion of 150 Russian diplomats.
NATO’s Secretary-General went on to condemn the use of this substance which he believes is a total disregard for human life. “The use of such a weapon is horrific,” he said.
“Any use of chemical weapons shows a total disrespect for human lives and is an unacceptable breach of international norms and rules.” Russian officials, however, said doctors found no evidence Navalny was poisoned before he left for Germany.
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