Kremlin critic Navalny seen walking downstairs amid recovery from poisoning

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was seen walking down the stairs in a photograph shared from his official Instagram account on September 19, days after Berlin’s Charité hospital announced that the Kremlin critic was taken off the ventilator. In the Instagram update, Navalny wrote about his recovery status, saying it is already “a clear path albeit a long one.” 

The 44-year-old politician said that he is unable to operate his phone as he is finding it “useless as a stone” and facing difficulties in pouring water into his glass. He added that his legs shake when tries to walk up the stairs. Navalny thanked doctors of the Charité hospital for turned him from a “technically alive person” into someone who can “quickly scroll through Instagram and understands without hesitation where to put likes.”

“So there are still many problems to be solved, but the amazing doctors at the Charite University Hospital Berlin solved the main problem,” the caption read. 

German health authorities had confirmed the poisoning of Navalny with a nerve agent from the Novichok group, citing toxicological test results. Later, specialist laboratories in France and Sweden also confirmed the poisoning with the Soviet-style nerve agent Novichok. Germany informed on September 18 that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is still investigating the cause independently.

Read: Germany Says Chemical Weapon Watchdog Still Investigating Alexei Navalny's Case

Read: Navalny Was Poisoned In Hotel Room And Not At Airport, Claims His Team

Use of Novichok

Navalny's team said that the politician was poisoned at his hotel room in the Siberian city of Tomsk and not at the airport as suspected earlier. The team informed that they collected everything they could from the hotel room on the day he fell sick and sent it to Germany for investigation. The German laboratory found traces of Novichok agent on bottles collected from Navalny's room.  

Russian police continue to seek access to Navalny for questioning after Moscow rubbished Germany’s findings in Kremlin critic’s toxicology report. The Siberian transport police said in a statement that Russia would prepare a request to let its officers and an “expert” shadow German investigators as they probe Navalny’s case.

Read: Navalny Case: France, Sweden Confirmed Use Of Novichok For Poison Attack, Says Germany

Read: Kremlin Accuses Alexie Navalny’s Aides Of Taking Potential Evidence Out Of Country