doctors in russia say they're doing all
they can to save the life of alexei
navalny the most prominent critic of
president putin's government he
collapsed on a flight from siberia to
moscow
suffering from suspected poisoning mr
navalny has been
imprisoned several times for organizing
protests against vladimir putin
and tonight an air ambulance is being
sent from germany to siberia to fly him
back for treatment
our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford
has more details
this was alexayna valni moments before
boarding his flight
soon after that cup of tea he collapsed
a fellow passenger filmed as medics came
to his help
capturing the groans of agony
by the time he was stretched off the
biggest opposition figure in russia
was unconscious those close to him
believe he's been poisoned deliberately
from moscow to siberia his wife yulia
rushed to his hospital bedside
as doctors revealed they were working to
save his life
these are the last images alexey navalny
posted from his trip
he was in siberia to help these young
activists preparing to take on
pro-kremlin politicians
at local elections
alexey is now in intensive care in a
coma
and on the ventilator we still don't
have a diagnosis
i will pass on any new information as
soon as we get it
i ask you not to trust other sources
earlier from the hospital corridors his
aide posted this picture
of police and investigators
of course poisoning is being considered
as one of the possible causes
but apart from that there are many other
possible conditions which could come on
suddenly
and show the same symptoms
with a huge online following alexey
navalny has the power to bring big
crowds onto russia's streets
protesting against the politics of the
kremlin he's been arrested for that
multiple times
and his anti-corruption fund has been
raided repeatedly by police
it digs into the private lives and
finances of the powerful here
plenty would like that stopped the
kremlin has warned people not to jump to
conclusions over what's happened
but if alex navalny has been poisoned
then the question must be not only who
did that
but how russia has become a country
where attacks on prominent critics are
not only possible
but increasingly regular now alexey
navalny has been attacked before
in 2017 a corrosive liquid burned his
eye
and last summer he felt sick suddenly in
police custody
this time seems far more serious and his
family wants him moved abroad
for treatment and tests they can trust
sarah rainsford bbc news moscow