Germany investigating alleged poisoning of anti-Putin activists in Berlin: report

German police are investigating the alleged poisoning of two anti-Putin activists in Berlin, according to media reports.

Police told Reuters that they have opened an investigation, after two activists who attended a conference in the German capital in late April reported health problems.

Both attended the event held by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former oil tycoon and prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Russian investigative media group Agentstvo. The outlet first reported on the alleged poisonings earlier this week.

One of the affected participants was Natalia Arno, the president of the Free Russia Foundation. She said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that it is suspected that she was poisoned, potentially with a nerve agent.

A Russian journalist was also treated for health problems at the Charité hospital in Berlin, after attending the conference, Agentstvo reported.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was treated at the same hospital in 2020, after he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent.