Russia denounced Wednesday a “disinformation campaign” aimed at imposing new sanctions on Moscow, after a call from members of the G7 to bring “urgently” to justice the perpetrators of the poisoning of the opponent Alexeï Navalny.
• Read also: Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny released from artificial coma
• Read also: Trump says he saw no evidence of Navalny poisoning
“The vast ongoing disinformation campaign is clear proof that its initiators do not care about Navalny’s health (…), but seek to mobilize to impose sanctions,” Russian diplomacy said in a statement.
The foreign ministers of Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom said in a statement on Tuesday that they were “united in condemnation, in terms the strongest, from the confirmed poisoning of Alexei Navalny ”.
The European Union has raised possible sanctions, and Berlin has even for the first time indicated that it does not rule out the freezing of its flagship gas pipeline with Russia, Nord Stream 2.
Tensions with Berlin
The 44-year-old Russian opponent, currently treated in Germany after initially being hospitalized in Russia, was the victim, according to the German government, of an attack with a Novichok-type nerve agent, designed for military use at the time Soviet.
For its part, Russia insists that no trace of poison was detected by Russian doctors in the body of Mr. Navalny, who was urgently hospitalized in Siberia at the end of August, and is asking for evidence that Germany has not yet supplied, according to Moscow.
“We continue to insist that the German side give us the information on the medical examination of Mr. Navalny, including the results of his biochemical analyzes”, indicates the press release of Russian diplomacy, denouncing “unfounded attacks” against Russia.
“The German side is unfortunately slowing down the process”, so “the hysteria around this affair continues to increase”, deplores Russia, repeating an accusation made several times in recent days against Berlin.
The German ambassador is expected Wednesday at the Russian Foreign Ministry for an exchange on the subject, according to Berlin.
Despite Western protests, Russia has since the start of the case refused to open any criminal investigation, believing that there was no evidence that a crime could have been committed.