Germany Hands Over Navalny Interview Transcripts To Russia, Demands Criminal Probe

By RFE/RL's Russian Service

MOSCOW -- Germany has sent to Russia the transcripts of interviews its authorities conducted with Aleksei Navalny, and demanded that Moscow carry out a full investigation into the poisoning of the Russian opposition politician.

The move on January 16 came a day ahead of Navalny’s planned return to Moscow following several months in Germany, where he was sent for treatment following his August 2020 near-fatal poisoning that he has blamed on Russian authorities.

The Kremlin critic has said that he will return to Russia despite having received a notice that the country's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) would seek his arrest, setting the stage for a potentially dramatic new showdown between the Kremlin and Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's most outspoken foes.

Late last month, FSIN demanded Navalny return immediately from Germany or face jail in Russia for violating the terms of a suspended prison sentence relating to a 2014 fraud conviction and for evading criminal inspectors.

The German Justice Ministry said that with the handing over of information requested by Moscow -- including blood and tissue samples -- the Russian government now has all the information it needs to carry out a criminal investigation.

A ministry spokesman said Berlin expects that "the Russian government will now immediately take all necessary steps to clarify the crime against Mr. Navalny."

"This crime must be solved in Russia. This requires investigations commensurate with the seriousness of this crime," the spokesman added.

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AFP