German police said on Tuesday that they are investigating a suspected attempt to poison a Russian-German citizen. According to Der Spiegel, she is the mother of Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza. However, he ruled out poisoning.informs TASR based on a report by the AFP agency.
“An investigation is currently underway on suspicion of attempted murder,” the Berlin police said on the social network X. According to the police, the victim is currently in the Charité hospital in the center of Berlin. A police spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that the hospitalized woman has dual Russian-German citizenship.
“Police are taking all necessary measures to ensure public safety and investigate potential suspects,” it is stated further in the statement.
Investigators are currently checking the blood samples, clothes and residence of the injured woman. However, the Berlin police spokeswoman could not confirm whether the woman was actually poisoned or whether the attacker used a nerve agent.
“Thank you all for your interest and kind words. Mom is indeed in hospital in Berlin, but the suspicions of poisoning and heart attack have thankfully turned out to be wrong.” wrote Kara-Murza on Telegram.
The Russian opposition politician has already survived two poisoning attempts. According to him, the Kremlin was behind them, which used the nerve-paralytic substance novichok.
Kara-Murza spent two years in a Russian prison for treason and spreading false information about the Russian army. He described the trial as contrived. He was released this summer as part of a prisoner exchange between Western countries, Russia and Belarus.
The Novichok substance was used by the Russian secret services in several attempts to kill Russian opposition politicians, writes AFP. According to German and British authorities, opposition leader Alexei Navalny and former member of the Russian secret service GRU Sergei Skripal were poisoned with Novichok. The Kremlin denies any connection with these incidents.
