Doctor says Navalny could die ‘at any moment’

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny could “die at any moment” due to progressive kidney failure brought on by his ongoing hunger strike, a Russian physician said Sunday.

In a Facebook post first reported by The Associated Press, Yaroslav Ashikhmin wrote that test results provided by Navalny’s family pointed to severe issues with the Russian political figure, including spiking potassium levels.

“A patient with this level of potassium should be observed in intensive care, as fatal arrhythmia can develop at any moment. Death by a cardiac arrest. The publication is coordinated with the relatives of Alexey Navalny,” read the post.

“Our patient could die at any moment,” it continued.

Navalny has remained in prison since returning to Russia earlier this year and launched a hunger strike several weeks ago over complaints regarding access to medical care at the facility. He and his lawyers allege that he has had zero or infrequent access to a prison doctor as he has sought treatment for herniated discs.

The top critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin returned to the country after seeking treatment for Novichok poisoning in Germany, an attack that has been blamed on Moscow by Navalny himself as well as the governments of numerous countries, including the U.S.

Moscow has denied any involvement.

President Biden addressed Navalny’s condition on Saturday in comments to reporters, calling his arrest and continued imprisonment “totally unfair.”