The air ambulance plane carrying the main Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, in a coma after what his relatives claim to be “poisoning”, landed Saturday morning at Berlin Tegel where he must be treated. His state of health is “stable”.
The private plane, a Bombardier Challenger 604 registered D-AFAD and belonging to Nuremberg-based FAI Rent-A-Jet, took off at 07:59 local time from the Siberian city of Omsk after long and intense negotiations and landed at 08.47 on the tarmac of Tegel Airport in northwest Berlin, according to Flightradar24 air traffic monitoring site. The flight number was IFA1344.
“Alexey Navalny’s state of health is stable,” assured the leader of the German NGO Cinema for Peace, Jaka Bizilj, who chartered the ambulance plane.
The aircraft was originally scheduled to land at Schönefeld Airport in the southeast of the city, according to Flightradar24. But it finally headed for the other airport in the German capital, Tegel, and landed in the military part of this airport where many ambulances were waiting, according to the German daily Bild.
No reason was immediately given for this sudden change.
The 44-year-old opponent in serious condition should be immediately transported to the Charité hospital, one of the most famous in Europe.
The medical plane which took the opponent to Germany was chartered by the German NGO Cinema for Peace. It arrived at Omsk airport from Nuremberg on Friday morning. German doctors were able to examine Alexeï Navalny and assured that they would be able to transport him to Berlin for the necessary treatment.
Alexei Navalny was travelling on Thursday from Tomsk, Siberia, to Moscow Domodedovo by plane when he became unwell. The aircraft had to make an emergency landing in Omsk.
