Putin critic Alexei Navalny wishes to return to Russia despite 'terrorist attack' on him

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Tuesday, December 15 said that he would return back to Moscow as soon as he gets a go-ahead from doctors in Germany. His remarks come a day after an investigative website, with substantive evidence, claimed that Russia’s FSB poisoned him. While Moscow has remained silent on the report, Navalny called it a "genuine terrorist attack" adding that it could not have been done without President Putin’s permission.

Speaking at a radio interview, Navalny reiterated his promise to return to Moscow as soon as the German doctors declare him fit enough to do so. Although he was released from the hospital in September, health care officials have maintained that he was still in the process of recovery and unfit to return back to Russia.

Read: Alexei Navalny Was Attacked By Russian Spies Who Were Shadowing Him Since 2017: Report

"I’m coming back to Russia because it’s my country," said Navalny. He added that he enjoys a rather significant support in Russia and said he was grateful to people who are supporting him. Navalny said he has "things to do" in the country.

Backing the findings by investigative website Bellingcat, he asserted that he was the victim of a "full-fledged operation that the FSB was carrying out as a mission of the state." Furthermore, he said that it was a "genuine terrorist attack without any exaggeration" which could not have been carried out without Putin’s orders. On the other hand, neither Kremlin’s Press Secretary nor the editor of the state-run media have commented on the findings.

Read: Navalny Video Details Investigation Into Alleged Poisoners

The Report

An undercover hit squad working for Russia’s FSB spy agency poisoned Russian opposing leader Alexei Navalny after shadowing him on his previous trips, an investigative journalism website Bellingcat claimed on Monday. Citing telecoms and travel details, it alleged that Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) was behind the failed assassination attempt. Elaborating further, the report said the Russian agency started tracking him in 2017 when it was first announced that he was contesting against President Vladimir Putin.

According to Bellingcat, the squad of Russian security service officers initially tried to poison him on his personal trip to Kaliningrad with his wife Yulia in July. It added that the FSB agents then followed him to Novosibirsk in Siberia and then to Tomsk, where he was eventually poisoned.

Read: Putin Critic Navalny Survived Second Assassination Attempt When He Was In Coma: Report

Read: Russia Under Pressure To Explain Navalny Poisoning