generalspeaking

Evidence At The Scene of the Crime

"This is disturbing information about the attempted murder through poisoning against a leading Russian opposition figure.  Alexei Navalny was the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group. This poison could be identified unequivocally in tests."                "This poison can be detected without a doubt in the samples. This means that Alexei Navalny is definitely the victim of a crime. They wanted to silence him and I condemn this in the strongest possible terms, also on behalf of the entire Federal Government. There are very serious questions now which only the Russian government can and must answer. The fate of Alexei Navalny has received a lot of attention worldwide. The world will wait for an answer."                                                                                                         German Chancellor Angela Merkel

"The Russian government must now explain what happened [to Navalny]. It's outrageous that a chemical weapon was used against Alexei Navalny. We have seen first-hand the deadly consequences of Novichok in the UK. We will work with international partners to ensure justice is done."                                               British Prime Minister Boris Johnson

"The Russian government has a clear case to answer. It must tell the truth about what happened to Mr Navalny. We will work closely with Germany, our allies and international partners to demonstrate that there are consequences for using banned chemical weapons anywhere in the world."                                                British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab

"The identification of the poison as being one of the family of Novichok agents points extremely strongly towards the Russian government being responsible for this outrage. The Russian government has the motivation for it, but also the track record on multiple levels. It shows both their ruthlessness but also their level of impunity. It is clear that they care little about international opinion and are prepared to act because they know that the consequences are extremely small."                Andrea Sella, professor of inorganic chemistry, University College London

It is glaringly obvious by now that you cannot be a high-profile critic of the Kremlin, much less of Russian President Vladimir Putin with impunity. Punishment will arrive sooner or later and whether it is sooner or later it is often a final judgement. Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is by no means an exception; he is symbolic of the rule. Berlin, according to its indomitable chancellor, awaits an explanation from Moscow. Moreover, Frau Merkel who is normally unwilling to push Mr.Putin to the wall appears now to be willing to do so.

She warns that Germany is prepared to consult its allies in NATO, how the collective should respond to the outrage of a national leader committing to a deadly assault on a critic with a high profile. Not that this is unusual, far from it. There have been numerous other deadly assaults, some of them resulting in grievous harm, others in the finality of death, and some of them executed clumsily enough to point the finger in the clues left behind, at none other than state involvement.

New Western sanctions against Russia loom in the near future. Old sanctions linked to Moscow's Crimean adventure in its covert battle with Ukraine, have done ample harm to Russia's economy. Moscow in its defence denies any involvement in the unfortunate affair that has struck a Russian citizen so outrageously. Germany's contention of state involvement in the atrocious affair is unjustified, with no evidence whatever. Moscow is offended by the manner in which Berlin released the information regarding Navalny.

Airlifted to Germany which offered haven to the comatose, very ill man whom a deadly nerve agent had poisoned, despite the balking of Russian doctors responding to the 44-year-old's emergency situation deeming him too ill to move, and denying that a poisonous substance was responsible for his collapse, the definite identification of the substance that almost took his life must leave them feeling galled by their part in the entire affair linked to their government.

According to the medical experts at Berlin's Charite hospital where Mr.Navalny's welfare is being looked to, the patient remains in serious condition in an intensive care unit, connected to a ventilator. Potential long-term consequences of the poisoning cannot be ruled out. According to Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius, Russian authorities were most certainly involved in the poisoning given the certain identification of the Novichok poison by the German government.

Labels: Alexei Navalny, Germany, Kremlin, Novichok, Vladimir Putin

posted by Pieface @ Friday, September 04, 2020