Russian parliamentarian lambasts Navalny, says Putin 'saved' his life

The head of Russia's lower house of parliament, on October 1, said that opposition leader Alexei Navalny was a “shameless” man and accused him of aligning with “western countries”. In an addendum, Vyacheslav Volodin said that President Vladimir Putin who has been blamed for Navalny’s poisoning had instead “saved” his life. 

"Navalny is a shameless and mean man. Everyone -- from pilots to doctors to the President -- were sincerely saving him. Only a dishonourable man can make such statements," he said in an apparent reference to Navalny's claim that Putin was behind the poisoning. "It is absolutely obvious that Navalny is working with the security services and authorities of Western countries", the Chairman of Duma added in the statement. 

In his first interview post poisoning, Navalny accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind the attack. Speaking to Germany's Der Spiegel magazine he said that Putin was "behind the attack." “I don't have any other versions of how the crime was committed," he said in a brief excerpt of the interview conducted in Berlin. 

Read: Russia's Navalny Accuses Putin Of Being Behind Poisoning

Navalny's poisoning

Alexei Navalny, a staunch critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell sick under mysterious circumstances on a flight back to Moscow from Siberia on August 20. He was rushed to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk after the plane made an emergency landing. Navalny was put into an artificial coma and was moved to Germany after much debate over his transfer. Navalny had remained in an induced coma until September 7 when doctors treating him informed that his condition has improved. 

Read: US Senators Request Trump To Initiate Probe Into Kremlin Critic Navalny's Poisoning

German doctors confirmed that Navalny was poisoned with the lethal chemical agent Novichok and that traces of the former Soviet-era chemical weapon was found in his blood. A few days ago, Navalny's team had said that the politician was poisoned at his hotel room before leaving for the airport and not at the terminal as suspected earlier. They said that Navalny was possibly poisoned through drinking water as traces of Novichok have been found on the water bottles from the hotel room. 

Read: Navalny 'grateful' To German Chancellor Angela Merkel For Visiting Him At Hospital

Read: Russian Dissident Navalny Recovering Faster Than Expected

Image credts: AP