Putin-critic Navalny tricks Russian agent into admitting poisoning his underwear: Reports

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny seems to have duped an FSB operative into confessing the state agency's role in the poisoning plot and revealing that nerve agent was administered to the Putin critic via his underwear. An audio clip of the conversation between Navalny and FSB agent Konstantin Kudryavtsev was shared by Bellingcat, which previously reported of FSB’s involvement in the assassination attempt of the opposition leader.

As per reports, Kudryavtsev could be heard admitting in the clip that Navalny's underwear was contaminated by Novichok in his hotel room in Omsk. For his investigative operation, Navalny is reported to have phoned two members of Russia’s spy agency. While one recognised him immediately and hung up, the other, Kudryavtev, was seemingly tricked into thinking he was a top FSB general. Posing as "Maxim Ustinov", Navalny then asked Kudryavtsev for details of the operation and demanded to know what had gone wrong.

Read: Putin Critic Alexei Navalny Wishes To Return To Russia Despite 'terrorist Attack' On Him

Unaware that he was being tricked, the Russian official admitted that FSB was behind his poisoning. Kudryavtev said that he and his colleagues had applied Novichok on the "inner seams" of Navalny’s boxer shorts while he was staying at a hotel in Siberia. Elaborating further, Kudryavtsev said that a reconnaissance team had previously visited the Xander hotel and switched off the camera.

It was then on August 18, Kudryavtsev said, that a team went in and applied poison on his underwear, which was cleaned after the operation. Two days later, Navalny wore the poisoned garments and felt terribly ill on the airplane bringing him to Moscow. The Russian opposition leader was saved after the flight made an emergency landing in Omsk where he was taken to hospital. Navalny was then airlifted to Berlin "completely naked" and has been asking his return of his clothes from Russia since then, reports suggest.

Read: Navalny 'totally Sure' Putin Was Aware Of Shadowing Operation Before He Was Poisoned

Read: Vladimir Putin Says If FSB Poisoned Navalny, They Would Have 'taken It To The End'

Putin denies claim

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Navalny would have died had state agents tried to assassinate him. His remarks came in reference to the Bellingcat investigative report which claimed to have "substantive evidence" that Russia’s FSB poisoned him. The Bellingcat report also revealed that the FSB spy agency had shadowed him for three years before poisoning the 44-year-old leader during a flight from Siberia to Moscow.

(With agency inputs)

Read: Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Dismisses Navalny Poisoning Allegations As 'Western' Ploy