Disinfo: Poisoning of drug addict Navalny was a hoax

Summary

The analysis of Navalny's hair samples, conducted by the Charite Clinic, confirms the presence of multiple, highly addictive psychoactive substances in his blood. This paints a very different picture of what has happened to Navalny.

It seems that Navalny was injected with a dose of insulin in order to mimic symptoms of poisoning and create a pretext for moving him for treatment abroad.

Disproof

The claim advances a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative concerning the state-sponsored poisoning of Russian activist Alexei Navalny. The aim is to discredit not only Navalny but also the urgent medical assistance he received in Germany.

The present "scoop" is the latest addition to the list of substances and conditions which, according to pro-Kremlin outlets, could have caused Navalny's illness. Earlier such reports have cited moonshine, psychosomatic stress, overzealous dieting, low blood sugar, and a flare-up of an unspecified chronic illness as possible culprits.

That said, even if any of the above produced symptoms were identical to those of novichok poisoning (which they are not), this would not explain the presence of novichok in Navalny's blood, as independently confirmed by Germany, France, Sweden, and the OPCW. It is also worth noting that Russian doctors "had tested Navalny for 'a broad range of narcotics, synthetic, and medicinal substances including cholinesterase inhibitors. The results were negative.'"

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 263
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16/10/2021
  • Article language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Russia, Germany
  • Keywords: Chemical weapons/attack, novichok, Alexei Navalny, Conspiracy theory
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Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about a global conspiracy to prevent the success of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. In fact, problems with inconsistent, problematic or missing data and lack of transparency have been regularly reported regarding Sputnik V, leading some international health regulators to mistrust it or consider the information about it insufficient.

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Disproof

The claim is a baseless conspiracy theory, aiming to promote recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives against NATO and about an allegedly imperialist West always conspiring to destabilise other countries, this time taking advantage of the crisis in Afghanistan. Although the US and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan has been the subject of harsh criticism, and led to a massive influx of Afghan refugees towards other countries and the seizure by the Taliban of significant arsenals, the affirmation that this is a deliberate policy is not backed by any evidence, and its only goal is to exploit growing concerns about these consequences to advance the Kremlin’s agenda.

See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the US seeded chaos in Afghanistan to undermine China and Russia, that Western interests are behind the Kabul airport terror attack, that the US created a drug laboratory on a global scale in Afghanistan, that unlike the US, the USSR entered Afghanistan at the request of the legitimate government, or that NATO is the sole responsible for Afghanistan’s destruction.

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Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin propaganda narrative about omnipresent Russophobia and a belligerent western hostile agenda against Russia.

As explained in our analysis, a variety of events, be it the situation around Alexei Navalny (read more here), protests in Belarus or COVID-19 pandemic are presented by pro-Kremlin media outlets as a massive Western attack on Russia, just to name a few accusations.