Boris Johnson slams ‘outrageous’ Novichok poisoning of Alexei Navalny, demands explanation

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday has demanded that Russia should explain itself after Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent similar to Novichok. Johson condemned the 'outrageous' poisoning of Navalny and has pledged to work with international partners to ensure that justice is done.

His reaction comes after a German military lab confirmed that the opposition leader Navalny was poisoned with the Soviet-era chemical weapon 'Novichok' earlier on Wednesday. Here's what Johnson wrote:

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German Doctors Find Novichok In Navalny's Samples

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert, in a statement on Wednesday, said the toxicological test results "revealed unequivocal proof of the presence of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group." Alexei Navalny's samples were tested by a special German military laboratory after he was flown to Berlin for medical treatment, exhibiting symptoms of poisoning.

German authorities have informed their European Union and NATO partners about Navalny's toxic screen results and will be discussing an appropriate joint response; Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will be approached as well.

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Navalny in 'medically-induced coma'

Alexei Navalny has been in the headlines since the day he fell ill under mysterious circumstances on a flight back to Moscow from Siberia on Aug 20. He was rushed to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk after the plane made an emergency landing and has been in a coma ever since. He is one of the strongest critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny's supports were quick to suspect he had been poisoned but Russian authorities had denounced the allegations and expressed concerns over this well being.

Navalny was later moved to Berlin’s Charite hospital, where doctors last week admitted to indications of poisoning. His spokesperson on August 28 had informed that the Russian critic is facing no serious threat to life as he remains in a medically-induced coma with ventilator support.

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READ | German doctors find Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok in Alexei Navalny's samples