And as natural as breathing to an ex-KGB man.
Fears of Navalny Poisoning Are Rooted in Previous Attacks on Kremlin Foes
Mr. Navalny, 43, the most prominent critic of President Vladimir V. Putin and his government, was rushed to the hospital on Sunday from his jail cell, suffering from swelling and hives, which officials described as an allergic reaction.
He was sentenced last week to 30 days in jail for organizing an illegal protest, days before a demonstration he had called drew thousands of people in Moscow on Saturday.
Dr. Vasilyeva, who had treated him previously, said on Sunday that Mr. Navalny might have been poisoned with an unknown chemical substance.
The Interfax news agency quoted a doctor at the government hospital where he was admitted as saying that he had suffered from an attack of hives, but had improved.
Unease among his fellow opposition members and supporters stemmed from the Kremlin’s long history of eliminating its opponents, often by poisoning them.
Mr. Putin has tried to build an image of a powerful, united Russia, and anyone who would undermine that strength or point out that much of the country lives in poverty is often the target of official ire.
Independent journalists, rights advocates, opposition politicians, government whistle-blowers and others are smeared in the media, jailed on dubious charges and, in some cases, killed.
Mr. Navalny himself temporarily lost most of the vision in one eye when someone threw a caustic liquid into his face in 2017.
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