Upon Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s arrival in Germany for treatment, doctors confirmed the politician was poisoned, the New York Post reported Monday.
The transfer was delayed by Russian authorities after Navalny lapsed into a coma last week. Russian doctors claimed no knowledge of the toxin German medical officials identified in his system.
"The team of doctors examined the patient in detail after his arrival. The clinical findings indicate poisoning by a substance from the group of active substances called cholinesterase inhibitors," the Charité hospital in Berlin said in a statement Monday.
"His health is serious, but there is currently no acute danger to his life," doctors added.
Navalny is one of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critics. Other notable dissenters have fallen mysteriously ill or gone missing after making anti-Putin comments.
Washington has yet to make an official statement on the matter. However, Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan declared his awareness of the ongoing situation and pledged his best efforts to get to the bottom of it.
Sullivan said Navalny’s case would be on the agenda for Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun’s visit to Russia, which begins Tuesday.
"With Alexei Navalny in a hospital in Berlin, our dialogue with Russia must include re-emphasizing the importance of free speech and civil society," Sullivan said.
German president Angela Merkel told reporters Monday that those responsible for Navalny’s poisoning "must be held accountable."