Top UK diplomat calls for probe into Navalny poisoning

LONDON

The British foreign secretary said he welcomed the fact that Russian activist Alexei Navalny was receiving treatment in Germany following suspected poisoning, and called for a “full and transparent investigation” into the incident.

“Relieved that Alexey @navalny has been flown to Germany to receive the critical medical treatment that he needs. I wish him a swift recovery. It is vital that there is a full & transparent investigation into his poisoning,” Dominic Raab said in a Twitter post.

Navalny, 44, a vociferous critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is in a coma after drinking a cup of tea that was allegedly poisoned. His supporters blame the Kremlin.

The two previous high-profile poison attacks allegedly carried out by Russia both happened in the UK: the poisoning of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 and the poison attack on former military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in 2018.