Moscow, August 21: No traces of poison were found in blood and urine samples of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, said Deputy Chief of Omsk Emergency Hospital Anatoly Kalinichenko on Friday. Alexei Navalny, a staunch critic of President Vladimir Putin, is in a coma after he fell unconscious during a flight after a suspected poisoning. Navalny fell ill during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow and his plane made an emergency landing in Omsk, Siberia. Who Is Alexei Navalny? Profile of 'Poisoned' Russian Opposition Leader Known For Fierce Criticism of Vladimir Putin.

"We are now talking about various possibilities of poisoning. At the moment, the analyses that have been performed, detected no presence of poisons or their traces in blood or urine," Anatoly Kalinichenko was quoted as saying by Sputnik News. After he was admitted to the Omsk Emergency Hospital, Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh tweeted that "Alexei has toxic poisoning".

Yarmysh claimed that Navalny could have been poisoned, speculating that something might have been mixed with the tea he had at the Tomsk airport before boarding. CCTV footage from the airport, however, showed that he received the cup of tea from his aide Ilya Pakhomov, indicating none of those who prepared the beverage knew for whom it was made.

Meanwhile, Alexander Murakhovsky, head doctor at the hospital, said Navalny's condition had improved a little, but that he was still unstable. Doctors treating Navalny also said that the 44-year-old was in no condition to be moved. But Navalny's team said it was "deadly" for him to remain in the hospital.

"The ban on the transportation of Navalny is an attempt on his life, which is being made right now by doctors and the deceitful authorities who sanctioned it," Yarmysh tweeted on Friday. The Berlin-based Cinema for Peace Foundation said it had organised a plane to pick up Mr Navalny and bring him back to Berlin, where the Charite hospital was ready to treat him.

It said the aircraft had medical equipment and a team specialised in treating coma patients on board. The air ambulance arrived in the Siberian city of Omsk on Friday morning, according to flight-tracking data. Both Germany and France have said they were happy to help with treatment. (With IANS inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2020 04:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).