Complained about strange symptoms: the Russian journalist Natalia Arno Photo: 4freerussia.org
By Thomas Kielhorn
The Berlin State Criminal Police Office (LKA) is investigating signs of poisoning in two Russian journalists who took part in a conference by Russian Kremlin critic Mikhail Chordorkowski (59) at the end of April.
“Based on the knowledge available here, a process was created,” quotes “WELT AM SONNTAG” from the press office. The LKA did not provide any further information with reference to the ongoing proceedings.
First, the Russian online portal “Agentstvo” (German agency) reported on the health problems of two participants. Accordingly, one of the two affected went to the Berlin Charité.
The second journalist is Natalia Arno, the head of the non-profit organization Free Russia Foundation. She had complained about “strange symptoms” and “acute pain” on social media.
She expressed suspicions that she might have been poisoned by a nerve agent. A Western secret service examined her for the symptoms. At the request of “WELT AM SONNTAG”, the exiled Russian referred to investigations by the FBI in her adopted home in the States.
In recent years, there have been several poisoning attacks on opponents of the Russian regime. For example, the opposition activist Alexej Navalny (46) had to be treated in the Berlin Charité in 2020 after he had apparently been poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok in Russia.