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Russian Political Activist Is Hospitalized With Mysterious Illness Russian Political Activist Is Hospitalized With Mysterious Illness
(about 5 hours later)
MOSCOW — A prominent Russian political opposition activist, whose civic group this week released a film critical of an ally of President Vladimir V. Putin, has been hospitalized in Moscow after collapsing on Tuesday from a mysterious illness. MOSCOW — A prominent Russian political opposition activist, whose civic group this week released a film critical of an ally of President Vladimir V. Putin, has been hospitalized in Moscow after collapsing and losing consciousness on Tuesday from a mysterious illness.
The activist, Vladimir Kara-Murza, 33, is the coordinator of Open Russia, a civic organization founded by Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, a fierce critic of Mr. Putin. The group recently released a documentary about Ramzan A. Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Chechnya and a loyal supporter of Mr. Putin. The film is called “Family,” a reference to Mr. Kadyrov’s frequent description of the Russian president as a kind of surrogate father. The activist, Vladimir V. Kara-Murza, 33, is the federal coordinator of Open Russia, a civic organization founded by Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, a fierce critic of Mr. Putin. His political activism immediately raised suspicions of poisoning or other foul play, but so far there has been no confirmation of this from doctors or the Russian authorities.
Mr. Kara-Murza was also a close ally of Boris Y. Nemtsov, another political opposition leader and critic of Mr. Putin, who was assassinated just outside the Kremlin walls in February, in the most brazen political assassination in Russia’s modern history. Mr. Kara-Murza’s wife, Evegenia, said that he remained unconscious on Wednesday and was undergoing dialysis to treat acute renal failure, which doctors said was a result of “grave nonalcoholic intoxication.”
Ms. Kara-Murza, who lives with the couple’s three young children in the United States, said in a telephone interview that her husband had been in good health and that his family feared that he had been the victim a poisoning attack and that he might still be in danger.
“In today’s Russia, things can happen,” she said. “And he was taken ill suddenly. He wasn’t taking any medication that could have resulted in this.”
Open Russia released a documentary this week accusing Ramzan A. Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Chechnya and a loyal supporter of Mr. Putin, of corruption and human rights abuses. The film is called “Family,” a reference to Mr. Kadyrov’s frequent description of the Russian president as a kind of surrogate father.
Mr. Kara-Murza was also a close friend and ally of Boris Y. Nemtsov, another political opposition leader and critic of Mr. Putin, who was assassinated just outside the Kremlin walls in February, in the most brazen political assassination in Russia’s recent history.
The Russian authorities have arrested several Chechen suspects in Mr. Nemtsov’s killing, including a former deputy commander of one of Mr. Kadyrov’s security battalions. The suspects all maintain their innocence.The Russian authorities have arrested several Chechen suspects in Mr. Nemtsov’s killing, including a former deputy commander of one of Mr. Kadyrov’s security battalions. The suspects all maintain their innocence.
Mr. Kara-Murza fell ill on Tuesday and was taken by ambulance to the First City Hospital in Moscow, where he was reported on Wednesday to be in serious but stable condition. Local news reports said that Mr. Kara-Murza had lost consciousness and nearly slipped into a coma. Mr. Kara-Murza suddenly fell ill on Tuesday and was taken by ambulance to the First City Hospital, where he was reported on Wednesday to be in serious but stable condition. Ms. Kara-Murza said that while doctors said they had not found evidence of poisoning, they also had not ruled it out. They also said he was too weak to be transported out of Russia. “Since the doctors cannot come up with a definite source of his intoxication, we do not know how safe he is there,” Ms. Kara-Murza said. “That’s why we are trying to attract as much attention to his condition as we can.”
His political activism immediately raised suspicions of poisoning or other foul play, but so far there has been no confirmation of this from doctors or the Russian authorities. There is basis for the concern.
Aleksei Svet, the chief doctor at the hospital, told the Interfax news agency that Mr. Kara-Murza appeared to be suffering from double pneumonia and pancreatitis. Several acquaintances said they had seen Mr. Kara-Murza in recent days and that he had appeared to be in good health. Critics of the Kremlin have occasionally died under mysterious and sinister circumstances. A former K.G.B. officer and caustic critic of Mr. Putin, Alexander V. Litvinenko, died of radioactive poisoning in Britain in 2006. The cause of his death was determined to be the rare isotope polonium 210.
In interviews, Mr. Kara-Murza’s father, also named Vladimir, said there was no reason yet to suspect that his son was a victim of a nefarious plot. Another Russian citizen, Alexander Perepilichny, 44, died in England under mysterious circumstances in November 2012, after helping to expose a huge tax fraud in Russia allegedly involving senior officials.
Critics of the Kremlin, however, have occasionally died under mysterious and sinister circumstances. A former K.G.B. officer and caustic critic of Mr. Putin, Alexander V. Litvinenko, died of radioactive poisoning in Britain in 2006. The cause of his death was determined to be the rare isotope polonium 210. Aleksei Svet, the chief doctor at the First Moscow City Hospital, told the Interfax news agency that Mr. Kara-Murza appeared to be suffering from double pneumonia and pancreatitis.
Several acquaintances said they had seen Mr. Kara-Murza in recent days and that he had been in good health. Andrey Bystrov, who works with Mr. Kara-Murza at Open Russia, said he saw him Monday and he was fine.
Mr. Bystrov said he was trying not to jump to conclusions, but that it was difficult not to suspect an attack. “We are now in such a phase with Russia, you never know what really can happen,” he said in a phone interview.
In interviews, Mr. Kara-Murza’s father, also named Vladimir, said there was no reason yet to suspect his son was a victim of a nefarious plot.
Ms. Kara-Murza said that her husband had not received any threats but had been in Russia when Mr. Nemtsov was murdered. He attended Mr. Nemtsov’s funeral and was aware of the dangers of political activism in Russia but felt compelled to continue his work.
In recent weeks, that included helping to prepare the release of the documentary film about Mr. Kadyrov, who has served Mr. Putin loyally by maintain control over Chechnya, the predominantly Muslim republic where Russia fought two bloody wars.
In the months before his murder, Mr. Nemtsov had also sought to draw attention to the relationship between Mr. Putin and the Chechen leader and had posted online a video of Mr. Kadyrov with thousands of heavily armed troops in Chechnya, with a commentary wondering if one day they might be sent to Moscow.