17 Sep 2020 14:13

Novichok found in water bottle from Navalny's Tomsk hotel room - opposition activist's Instagram

TOMSK. Sept 17 (Interfax) - A German laboratory has found traces of the Novichok nerve agent in a water bottle from the Tomsk hotel room where Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny was staying, a report posted in Navalny's Instagram account said.

"The so-called 'Novichok bottle', or, to be exact, a regular plastic water bottle, where a German laboratory found traces of the military-grade toxin. This bottle comes from the Tomsk hotel room where Navalny and all members of our filming crew were staying," the report said.

According to the report, the bottle was seized by members of the Navalny team, who visited the hotel together with the lawyer after the activist felt unwell on the plane.

"Employees of FBK [Anti-Corruption Foundation], who stayed in Tomsk, learned about the incident almost immediately. They did the only thing they could do at the moment. They called for a lawyer, came to the room, from where Navalny had just checked out, and started recording, describing, and packing everything they could find, including water bottles provided by the hotel," the report said.

"Two weeks later, a German laboratory found Novichok traces on a bottle from the Tomsk hotel room. Three other laboratories, which took Alexei's samples, confirmed that Navalny was poisoned exactly with that substance. Now we realize that was done before he left the room and headed to the airport," the report said.

For her part, Navalny' press secretary Kira Yarmysh said on Twitter, "Let us explain where the thing we are constantly asked about comes from. The so-called 'Novichok bottle', or, to be exact, a regular plastic water bottle, where a German laboratory found traces of the military-grade toxin. This bottle comes from the Tomsk hotel room where Navalny and all members of our filming crew were staying."

A video featuring FBK employees and lawyers visiting the hotel room was published in Navalny's Instagram account.

Interfax does not have information in this regard from official sources.