Sergey Maximishin, a doctor who treated Navalny, has died, the hospital says

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Sergey Maximishin, the deputy chief physician of the Omsk emergency hospital, died “suddenly” at the age of 55, according to a statement from the hospital.

“We regret to inform you that … the deputy chief physician for anesthesiology and resuscitation of the emergency hospital №1, assistant to the department of Omsk State Medical University, doctor of medical sciences Maksimishin Sergey Valentinovich died suddenly,” the hospital said in a statement in which no cause of death was mentioned.

Navalny was initially admitted to the acute poisoning unit of Omsk Emergency Hospital No. 1 on August 20, after becoming ill from exposure to military-grade Novichok on a plane bound for Siberia to Moscow. The plane made an emergency landing in Omsk.

Maximishin did not give press conferences at the time of Navalny’s hospitalization. As the hospital’s deputy chief physician for anesthesiology and resuscitation, he was one of the hospital’s oldest physicians.

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Navalny fell into a medically induced coma and was eventually evacuated to the German capital Berlin, where he recovered from the poisoning for five months. After returning to Russia, he was sent to prison this week for violating the probation of a previous sentence. The verdict led to a swift conviction abroad, including in the US.
Navalny blames his poisoning on Russian security forces and on President Vladimir Putin himself, allegations that the Kremlin has repeatedly denied. A CNN-Bellingcat investigation in December implicated the Russian Security Service (FSB) in the attack. Navalny also tricked one of the officers by revealing that he had been poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok applied to his underwear.

Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s chief of staff, confirmed that Maximishin was in charge of the treatment of the opposition leader. “Sergey Maximishin was the head of department treating Alexey Navalny and in charge of his treatment – in particular his medically induced coma,” Volkov told CNN.

“(Maximishim) knew more than anyone about Alexey’s condition, so I can’t rule out the possibility of foul play,” he added.

“However, the Russian health care system is very bad and it is not uncommon for doctors his age to die suddenly. I doubt there will be any investigation into his death,” Volkov continued.

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CNN is seeking additional comment from local health authorities regarding Maximishin’s cause of death. Deaths of Russian medical workers, including whistleblowers, became a politically charged topic in the country amid the Covid-19 pandemic. CNN has no evidence of foul play.

The Omsk region’s health minister said in a statement that Maximishin worked in the hospital for 28 years and saved thousands of lives.

“He brought people back to full reality. We will miss Dr. Maximishin very much. He left too early and therefore the pain of the loss is particularly bitter,” Alexander Murakhovsky said in a statement.

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