Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny given permission to leave Russia for emergency treatment

Russian doctors on Friday allowed opposition leader Alexei Navalny to travel to Germany for treatment for an apparent poisoning, after his wife accused them of “playing for time” to hinder an investigation. Mr Navalny, the country’s most outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, was hospitalised on Thursday and remained unconscious after suddenly falling ill during a flight to Moscow from Siberia. His wife Yulia personally appealed to Mr Putin to allow him to travel after doctors refused her request for most of the day, saying his condition was unstable, before reversing their decision. Several of Mr Navalny’s aides said the doctors deliberately delayed so that foreign medics would be unable to discover any toxins in his system, and were taking instruction from Russian officials. Spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh called the delay “an attempt on his life”. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and Emmanuel Macron, the French president, have expressed concern over the apparent poisoning, while US Democratic candidate Joe Biden called it “unacceptable”.

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