Plane carrying dissident in coma leaves Russia for Germany

[Omaha Steve]

Last edited Fri Aug 21, 2020, 10:51 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: AP

By DANIEL KOZIN and DARIA LITVINOVA

OMSK, Russia (AP) — A plane carrying a Russian dissident who is in a coma after a suspected poisoning left for a German hospital Saturday following much wrangling over Alexei Navalny’s condition and treatment.

The plane could be seen taking off from an airport in the Siberian city of Omsk just after 8 a.m. local time. Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, confirmed the departure on Twitter. The flight to Berlin was expected to take about five hours.

Navalny, a 44-year-old politician and corruption investigator who is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critics, was admitted to an intensive care unit in Omsk on Thursday. His supporters believe that tea he drank was laced with poison — and that the Kremlin is behind both his illness and the delay in transferring him to a top German hospital.

When German specialists first arrived on a plane equipped with advanced medical equipment Friday morning at his family’s behest, Navalny’s physicians in Omsk said he was too unstable to move.



FILE- In this Dec. 26, 2019, file photo, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny speaks to the media in front of a security officer standing guard at the Foundation for Fighting Corruption office in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)


Read more: https://apnews.com/82f110b286b9ed01d2fecda3dcb25c70

[cp]

1. Praying for Navalny's health

He's a Russian hero. Hope he gets top-notch treatment in Berlin and lives to fight another day.

[lordsummerisle]

2. Trump hasn't commented yet

maybe he's taking notes...?

[Bev54]

3. He is in the air and on his way to Germany

[Warpy]

4. Good. There is such a thing as too unstable to transfer

even in a fully equipped and staffed air ambulance. If he has improved under their care, perhaps he has a chance of pulling through. It depends on what he was poisoned with.

[mpcamb]

6. They were delaying his transfer yesterday

Russia to let dissident in coma fly to Berlin for treatment

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian doctors gave a dissident who is in a coma after a suspected poisoning permission to be transferred abroad for medical treatment, a senior physician said Friday. The reversal came after more than 24 hours of wrangling over Alexei Navalny’s condition and treatment.

https://apnews.com/82f110b286b9ed01d2fecda3dcb25c70?utm_source=piano&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=morningwire&pnespid=mLFr9KJAWlGN7XSggj69pancSqSL8Ph9LDD7bl7Q
(~noon Friday)

[Warpy]

7. That's what I said

Too unstable is too unstable to survive things like cabin pressure changes or a 2-3 hour flight. They had to make sure he'd survive the trip.

There are perfectly valid reasons for the delay that neither Putin nor the security apparatus would be involved in.

This is "wait and see" time. Doctors in Germany are equipped to determine what the likely poison was and how to treat it and will likely be in communication with the UK NHS, who also have experience in this stuff.

Remember, it's irrelevant to Putin whether he lives or dies. If he dies, problem gone. If he lives, it's a warning for him to back off, it will be cyanide next time and while cyanide poisoning can be treated on the ground in a hospital, it acts too quickly in mid air, he'd be dead before the plane landed.

[mpcamb]

8. My thought was that the 24hr stall was to make sure he was dead or disabled before he was released.

I don't think they gave a flying one about whether he was stable for travel.

[Warpy]

9. Then you don't know doctors.

The wrangling was over the plane trip, sufficient staff on the plane, and the appropriate supplies on the plane. It wasn't about the flight plan.

[riversedge]

5. I am hoping the new medical team will help him.