A “close relative” of Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza is being treated in an isolation ward at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, on suspicion of poisoning, possibly with a neurotoxic agent, Der Spiegel magazine reported a while ago. As it became known later, this is the mother of the Russian dissident.

Berlin police confirmed in a post on Platform X that they are investigating a case of suspected attempted murder, as the woman told doctors that she may have been poisoned. “The patient was transferred to an isolation ward at the Charité. “Blood tests are being conducted for all types of toxic substances and all necessary police measures are underway to protect public safety and identify potential suspects,” the police statement said.

According to information from Spiegel, initial investigations showed no evidence of poisoning by a chemical or biological agent, but further tests will follow. The “Robert Koch” Institute also participates in the investigation of the incident, reports the magazine. The BILD newspaper, citing medical circles, says that “nothing indicates a targeted poison gas attack” and that the woman is being monitored as a precaution. The Tagesspiegel newspaper had previously reported on the possibility that Kara-Murza’s relative had been poisoned with Novichok, which had been used in the case of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Vladimir Kara-Murza was among the prisoners released in the summer as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the West. Before his capture in Russia, he had been poisoned twice, but eventually survived. As reported by Agence France-Presse, the Russian dissident wrote a while ago on the Telegram platform that “Mom is indeed in a hospital in Berlin, but the suspicions of poisoning and heart attack, thank God, have not been confirmed. Doctors continue to examine her.”