DISINFO: Navalny poisoning story was used to move him to Germany, produce "Putin's palace" investigation
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: Solovyov Live - YouTube (archived)*
  • Date of publication: January 25, 2021
  • Outlet language(s): Russian
  • Reported in: Issue 229
  • Countries / regions discussed: Germany, Russia
Tags:
novichok Alexei Navalny Chemical weapons/attack Conspiracy theory Vladimir Putin

DISINFO: Navalny poisoning story was used to move him to Germany, produce "Putin's palace" investigation

SUMMARY

One gets the impression that the story of Navalny’s so-called poisoning was advanced with the sole purpose of moving him to Germany, thus allowing him to produce the video on “Putin’s palace” there and provoke mass disturbances and protests in Russia. He needed to wind up in Germany, fulfill his orders, and produce that film.

RESPONSE

The claim, made without evidence, is the latest in a string of conspiracy theories seeking to challenge the role of Russian authorities in the poisoning of dissident Alexei Navalny.

Earlier theories used by pro-Kremlin outlets to obfuscate the Russian government's role in the attack attributed Navalny's illness to moonshine, psychosomatic stress, overzealous dieting, low blood sugar, a flare-up of an unspecified chronic illness, and psychiatric medication.

Upon his arrival in Germany in August 2020, Navalny was hospitalised at the Charite Hospital in Berlin. The fact of poisoning using military grade Novichok poison was independently confirmed by Germany, France, Sweden, and the OPCW.

The EU has condemned the detention of Alexei Navalny and called for his immediate release.

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Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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