Germany calls Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's recovery 'encouraging'

Germany welcomed the positive news about Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's improving health on Wednesday, September 16. As per reports, the German government also confirmed that Russia has for the second requested judicial assistance in investigating Navalny's poisoning.

Navalny able to breathe on his own again

The Russian critic first fell ill on August 20 while travelling in a domestic flight to Russia. Following his deteriorating condition, Navalny was transferred to Berlin's Charité hospital where he has been receiving treatment for almost four weeks now. On September 16, Navaly posted an image on Instagram that showed him sitting up and being hugged by his wife Yulia and flanked by his two children.

Read: Austria: No Link Between Navalny Case And Pipeline

The post read in Russian that while many activities are still impossible for Navaly, he managed to breathe on his own for the entire day. According to reports, Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, revealed on Twitter that the opposition leader plans to return back to Russia as soon as his health permits.

Read: Berlin: Labs Agree Navalny Poisoned With Novichok

As per reports, German government spokesperson Ulrike Demmer while speaking to local reporters stated that the authorities were immensely relieved by the latest news from Charité on Navalny's health. The spokesperson said it was encouraging and that the German government wishes the Russian leader a quick and complete recovery.

A German military laboratory last month confirmed the presence of a Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok in Navalny’s samples, thereby confirming that the opposition leader was indeed poisoned. Russia, on the other hand, has refuted the claim that it was linked to the poisoning and also accused Germany of withholding key documents from the Kremlin and accused the it of effectively stalling the Russian investigation into the case.

(With AP Input)

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