Lavrov says reports of Navalny poisoning are “funny to read.”

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“We are already used to the United States and other Western countries in the media just announcing yet another set of allegations against Russia, be it hackers, or some sort of sensation about Navalny’s double or even triple poisoning,” said Lavrov at a press conference after a visit to Croatia.

“All this news is funny to read, but it says one thing – or rather the way this news is presented says one thing – that our Western partners have no ethical standards and are not skilled in normal diplomatic work. [have] reluctance to comply with international legal standards when it comes to finding the facts, ”added Lavrov.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said reports of the poisoning of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, portrayed last June, were "funny."

“And the [West’s] logic here: “Look, we announced … new facts discovered by the German special services about the Navalny poisoning, and Moscow has been silent for two days – if it’s quiet, it’s guilty.” The flaw in this approach is, in my opinion, obvious to any sane person, ”Lavrov said.

On Monday, CNN and the Bellingcat research group released an exclusive investigation showing that Russia’s Federal Security Service (the FSB) formed an elite team specializing in nerve agents that had been pursuing Navalny for years.

CNN-Bellingcat investigation identifies Russian specialists who tracked Putin's nemesis Alexey Navalny before he was poisoned
Navalny fell ill during a four-hour flight from Tomsk to Moscow on August 20. The captain of the plane was diverted to the city of Omsk and asked for medical attention. It later turned out that the Russian opposition leader had been poisoned by Novichok. He almost died.

Lavrov’s comment marks the first reaction of a Russian official, as authorities have largely declined to comment on the findings. The Kremlin canceled their daily press conference on Tuesday and Wednesday due to “preparations” for President Vladimir Putin’s annual press conference on Thursday.

Navalny told CNN he was confident Putin was aware of the extensive shadow operation before he was poisoned. “I am absolutely certain that Putin was aware,” Navalny said on Tuesday during an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

The operation of such a skill and for such a long time cannot exist without a statement by the chief of (the Russian Federal Security Service) FSB, Mr. Bortnikov. And he would never dare without the direct order of the President Putin. “

The European Union has since imposed sanctions on several senior officials, including Alexander Bortnikov, who said he was “responsible for providing support to those who poisoned or involved Navalny”.

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