‘Poisoned’ Alexei Navalny visited by wife and an aide as German hospital say he is stable in a coma

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was in a coma but ‘stable’ after being flown to Germany after his suspected poisoning.

The politician, a corruption investigator and one of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critics, is feared to have drunk tea laced with poison.

His supporters believe the Kremlin is behind his illness and a delay in letting him go to Germany after he was admitted to intensive care in the Siberian city of Omsk on Thursday.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is in a coma but ‘stable’, Charite hospital in Berlin have confirmed. Pictured, the politician arrives at the German hospital on August 22

The politician is feared to have drunk tea laced with poison after he became ill on a flight to Moscow from Siberia on Thursday. Above, the last picture of Mr Navalny before he collapsed

The 44-year-old was flown to Berlin’s Charite hospital at the weekend. 

The hospital said it would not comment on his illness until test results were evaluated, only confirming he was still in a coma but ‘stable’. 

The news comes as Mr Navalny’s wife Yulia Navalnaya arrived at Charite hospital on Sunday to visit her husband.

Top aide Leonid Volkov also visited the Russian opposition leader at the Berlin hospital, but did not speak to reporters.

Mr Navalny became ill on a flight to Moscow from Siberia on Thursday and was taken to hospital after the plane made an emergency landing.

While his supporters and family insist he was poisoned, doctors in Omsk said a metabolic disorder was the most likely diagnosis. 

His supporters insist he was poisoned, but doctors in Omsk said a metabolic disorder was the most likely diagnosis. He is pictured on a stretcher in Omsk prior to his transfer to Germany

His wife Yulia Navalnaya made an appeal to Vladimir Putin to permit Mr Navalny’s medical evacuation to Germany after Russian health authorities initially said he was too ill to fly

Russian health authorities said tests had not shown poison in his system and initially resisted a transfer to Germany, saying he was too ill to fly.

The dissident’s supporters said this was a ploy to allow the poison to leave his system. 

An independent Russian news report at the weekend cited sources in security agencies who said Mr Navalny under intense surveillance during his trip to Siberia.

Moskovsky Komsomolets published details of the surveillance of his every movement, including what he and his associates ate, who he met, his credit card records, shopping receipts, where he stayed, what vehicles he travelled in and even a night time swim in a river.