The US believes the Russian FSB used a substance from the Novichok group against opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the US State Department said. A spokesman for the department accused Russia of trying to convince the opposite through conspiracy theories. “Russia has hinted at numerous and often conflicting conspiracy theories. Let's be honest: such conspiracy theories are nothing more than an attempt to distract from serious questions about the Russian government,”a State Department official told CNN. According to him, the politician's poisoning has no other explanation than the involvement of the Russian authorities.
The State Department's statement is the most specific condemnation of Russia by the administration of US President Donald Trump. CNN, citing two sources, notes that possible sanctions from the United States have already been prepared, but their introduction requires, among other things, the signature of Mr. Trump. The current US president did not blame Russia for the poisoning of Mr. Navalny. The channel notes that it received a comment from the State Department after inquiries related to the investigation of the team involved in the poisoning of Mr. Navalny. Earlier, the politician said that eight FSB officers were involved; an investigation with similar results was published in English by CNN and Bellingcat. Later, Alexei Navalny published a recording of his conversation with a man who he calls one of those involved. The FSB called the video a fake, but at the same time stated that the substitution of telephone numbers, which Mr. Navalny used, was "a well-known technique of foreign special services."
The State Department's statement is the most specific condemnation of Russia by the administration of US President Donald Trump. CNN, citing two sources, notes that possible sanctions from the United States have already been prepared, but their introduction requires, among other things, the signature of Mr. Trump. The current US president did not blame Russia for the poisoning of Mr. Navalny. The channel notes that it received a comment from the State Department after inquiries related to the investigation of the team involved in the poisoning of Mr. Navalny. Earlier, the politician said that eight FSB officers were involved; an investigation with similar results was published in English by CNN and Bellingcat. Later, Alexei Navalny published a recording of his conversation with a man who he calls one of those involved. The FSB called the video a fake, but at the same time stated that the substitution of telephone numbers, which Mr. Navalny used, was "a well-known technique of foreign special services."
Sources: https://www.kommersant.ru
Author: Anna Dorozhkina