Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has made further progress in his recovery after what Germany said was poisoning with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent, and is able to speak again, Der Spiegel magazine has reported.
Russian activist Alexei Navalny is being treated at the Charite hospital in Berlin. Photo: AFP
The Kremlin critic is being treated in Berlin's Charite hospital after falling ill on a Russian domestic flight last month.
He was brought out of an induced coma earlier this week with doctors saying he was responding to verbal stimuli but it was "too early to gauge the potential long-term effects of his severe poisoning".
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says there is a "substantial chance" that the suspected poisoning of Navalny was ordered by senior officials in Moscow.
Pompeo said the US was evaluating how it would respond.
Germany said earlier that Navalny was the victim of an attempt to kill him and has demanded an explanation from Russia. Moscow has said it has seen no evidence that Navalny, 44, was poisoned.
Der Spiegel magazine reported today that Navalny's police protection had been stepped up in the expectation that he would be receiving more visitors as his condition improved.
"Der Spiegel and Bellingcat understand that Navalny can speak again and can likely remember details about his collapse," the magazine wrote, crediting its investigative website partner. "His statements could be dangerous for people behind the attack."
There was no immediate comment by the hospital treating Navalny.
The affair has driven tensions between Russia and the West to new heights, with some Western governments believing Navalny was poisoned by Russian security services with top-level backing.
Berlin faces calls for a sharper response to the poisoning. Some opposition politicians have called for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, a Kremlin flagship project, to be cancelled, even as it nears completion.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was quoted today as saying Russian President Vladimir Putin had told him he would set up a committee to investigate Navalny's case and "was ready to collaborate with the German authorities".
Pompeo wary of Trump
Pompeo's comments contrast with President Donald Trump who has refused to condemn Moscow.
Pompeo gave his comments in an interview with the conservative US commentator Ben Shapiro, who asked if there would be any ramifications for the Russian government over apparent attacks on its political opponents.
The secretary of state said the US, along with the EU, had made clear to Russia "our expectations that they will hold those responsible for this accountable. We'll do our best to come to a conclusion about who was responsible too".
"I think people all around the world will see this kind of activity for what it is," he added. "And when they see the effort to poison a dissident, they recognise that there is a substantial chance that this actually came from Russia."
He added that "the world has matured and come to an understanding that this is not how normal countries operate, and this will prove costly for the Russians".
Pompeo declined to say how the US would respond as "I don't want to get in front of the president", but said Washington would play its part to "reduce the risk that things like this happen again".
President Trump has given no indication of how the US will respond to the poisoning, saying at the weekend: "I don't know exactly what happened. I think it's tragic, it's terrible, it shouldn't happen. We haven't had any proof yet but I will take a look."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, front, says he will need to consult President Donald Trump as the US works out its stance on the poisoning of Alexei Navalny. Photo: AFP
Nato has called for Russia to disclose its Novichok nerve agent programme to international monitors. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said members were united in condemning the "horrific" attack on Navalny.
Yesterday, Russia's foreign ministry summoned the German ambassador to protest at what it called "unfounded accusations and ultimatums against Russia" and accused Berlin of using the Navalny case "as a pretext to discredit our country".
Germany's Ambassador to Russia Geza Andreas von Geyr leaves the Russian Foreign Ministry, in Moscow, after a telling-off from the host country. Photo: AFP
Navalny a long-time critic of Putin
Navalny is an anti-corruption campaigner who has long been the most prominent face of opposition to President Vladimir Putin in Russia.
His supporters believe his tea was spiked at Tomsk airport on 20 August. He became ill during the flight, and the plane made an emergency landing in Omsk so he could be taken to hospital. Russian officials were persuaded to allow him to be airlifted to Germany two days later.
A nerve agent from the Novichok group identified by Germany in the Navalny case was also used to poison ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, in England. They both survived but a local woman, Dawn Sturgess, died after coming into contact with the poison.
Britain accused Russia's military intelligence of carrying out that attack in Salisbury. As part of a co-ordinated response, 20 countries expelled more than 100 Russian diplomats and spies. Russia denied any involvement.
- Reuters / BBC