Doctor Who Treated Navalny Suddenly Dies... "Possibility of Assassination"

"Assassination to Destroy Evidence"

Alexei Navalny Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The doctor who treated Alexei Navalny, the political opponent and opposition leader of Russian President Vladimir Putin, for poisoning has suddenly died. Some have raised the possibility of assassination by Putin's side.

According to CNN on the 4th (local time), the Omsk Emergency Hospital in Russia issued a statement announcing that Dr. Sergey Maksimishin, head of anesthesia and resuscitation, died at the age of 55. The cause of death was not mentioned.

Alexander Murakhovsky, the head of health in Omsk, said in a statement, "We will miss Dr. Maksimishin very much. He left too early, and because of this, the pain of losing him is even more bitter."

Dr. Maksimishin was in charge of treating Navalny last summer when he was poisoned and fell into a coma, being admitted to this hospital. At that time, the Omsk hospital announced that Navalny did not appear to be poisoned. CNN reported that Maksimishin did not hold even a single press briefing at that time.

His sudden death occurred amid protests spreading across Russia after Navalny, who had been treated for poisoning in Germany, returned last month and was arrested and detained. This is why suspicions are growing that the Putin regime assassinated Dr. Maksimishin to destroy evidence related to the poisoning allegations.

Leonid Volkov, Navalny's chief strategist, raised murder suspicions. He said, "Since Maksimishin knew more about Navalny's condition than anyone else, the possibility of murder cannot be ruled out," adding, "I doubt that a proper investigation into his death will be conducted."

However, CNN added that no evidence has yet been secured to prove that his death was a murder.

Earlier, in August last year, Navalny collapsed and fell into a coma due to poisoning symptoms while on a plane traveling from Tomsk, Siberia to Moscow. He stayed at the Omsk hospital in Russia and was transferred to a German hospital three days later for treatment. After regaining consciousness 18 days later, he stayed in Berlin for some time to receive rehabilitation treatment.

The German government announced that evidence was found indicating the use of a chemical nerve agent from the 'Novichok' series developed by the former Soviet Union on Navalny. Navalny has also claimed that his country's intelligence agencies attempted to assassinate him, but the Russian government has denied this.