Thursday, October 24

Russian activist ‘poisoned, presumably by nerve agent’ whereas on journey to Europe

The head of a world organisation combating for democracy in Russia says she thinks she was “poisoned, possibly by some nerve agent”.

Natalia Arno skilled “strange symptoms” whereas on a latest journey to Europe and on one event discovered the door to her room open when she returned to her lodge.

A put up on Ms Arno’s social media says she awoke at 5am the following day in acute ache and determined to fly house to the US on the closest flight, the place she has been recovering.

While it’s not but confirmed what triggered her situation, the put up says it’s being investigated – it is a story that conjures up reminiscences of the Novichok poisonings of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny and 5 folks in Salisbury in 2018.

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Ms Arno, who was compelled to depart Russia because of her pro-democracy work, based the Free Russia Foundation in 2014.

Her Facebook put up says she was visiting two European cities in late April and early May when the signs began.

“In the second city, after a busy day of discussions and meetings, I returned to my hotel in the evening and found the door to my room slightly open,” the put up says.

“I checked my belongings and the room, I did not find any bugs, but immediately felt a foreign and sharp smell of cheap perfumes in the room.”

She left the lodge to attend a gathering and when she returned the scent of fragrance had gone.

Investigators covered a bench where Russian double agent Sergei Skripal was found after being poisoned
Image:
Five folks – together with former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal – had been poisoned in Salisbury in March 2018

Ms Arno says in her put up that she complained to the receptionist who mentioned the maid had forgotten to shut the door.

At 5am the following morning she awoke in “acute pain” with “strange symptoms”. She swapped her flights and took an early journey again house to the US.

“During the flight, the symptoms became very strange, walking all over the body and with vivid numbness.”

She went to an emergency room “getting worse” and numerous medical doctors took blood samples, the put up says.

Alexei Navalny
Image:
Alexei Navalny, a widely known critic of Vladimir Putin, was poisoned with Novichok and recovered. He is now in jail in Russia

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Now two weeks later, she feels “much better” however nonetheless has some neuropathy signs, the put up says, as she waits for the outcomes of “various investigations” into what occurred.

She wrote: “As far as I understand it, this is not the first story of possible poisoning of Russian journalists and activists.

“And this isn’t the primary case with an open door in a lodge when ‘the maid forgot to shut it’.

“I thought it was important to tell in more detail, because I wanted to warn our exiled anti-war, anti-regime, pro-democracy Russian community that we should not lose vigilance, even after leaving Russia, from a country that is waging an aggressive war against Ukraine… and does not forget about us.”

Content Source: information.sky.com