Vladimir Putin critic in coma after suspected poisoning
Opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza placed in medical coma - two years after suffering similar symptoms

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition politician and prominent Kremlin critic, has been placed in a medically induced coma after suffering organ failure caused by poison, his wife has said.
His hospitalisation comes two years after he suffered similar symptoms in what he also believed was a poisoning.
Kara-Murza was admitted to an intensive-care unit in Moscow last week in a critical condition. At the time, his wife, Yevvgenia, told Radio Free Europe he had "low blood pressure" and "respiratory insufficiency".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
She has since said he suffered "severe intoxication by an unknown substance". Samples of his blood, hair and fingernails have been sent for testing in France and Israel.
Kara-Murza fell ill while taking a train ride from the Siberian city of Tver, according to the Daily Beast's Michael Weiss. Kara-Murza had just screened a film about former deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov, a political opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Nemtsov was shot dead near the Kremlin in February 2015.
"Putin's enemies have had a bad habit over the years of ingesting things they shouldn’t, from dioxin to polonium to killer flowers," says Weiss.
In May 2015, Kara-Murza was diagnosed with acute kidney failure and tests found high levels of heavy metals in his blood, but no criminal case was opened. "The symptoms are apparently similar to those that were then," said his lawyer of Kara-Murza's current condition.
The 2015 poisoning came just "three months after Nemstov was murdered, in a case that could be compared to that of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko in the UK", says Buzzfeed News. An exhaustive British inquiry into Litvinenko's death determined that Putin had likely ordered the murder through the use of polonium, a radioactive isotope.
Many eyes are now on US President Donald Trump to see how he responds to the Kara-Murzas' claims.
"Kara-Murza is the sort of freedom fighter that the United States has always defended," says the Washington Post, and if Trump does nothing on his behalf it will show his administration is "ready to appease Mr Putin at the price of American values".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Kaja Kallas: the EU's new chief diplomat shaping the future of European defense
In the Spotlight Former Estonian Prime Minister's status as an uncompromising Russia hawk has gone from liability to strength
By David Faris Published
-
7 ways to drink spectacularly across the United States this spring
The Week Recommends A bar for every springtime occasion
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Test flight of orbital rocket from Europe explodes
Speed Read Isar Aerospace conducted the first test flight of the Spectrum orbital rocket, which crashed after takeoff
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The fight for control of Ukraine's nuclear reactors
The Explainer How serious is Donald Trump about US ownership of Kyiv's nuclear power plants?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The El Salvador mega-prison at the centre of Trump's deportation scheme
The Explainer Invoking a 1798 law, the US president has sent hundreds of alleged gang members to high-security prison called 'black hole of human rights'
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Romania's election chaos risks international fallout
IN THE SPOTLIGHT By barring far-right candidate Calin Georgescu from the country's upcoming electoral re-do, Romania places itself in the center of a broader struggle over European ultra-nationalism
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why is Netanyahu pushing into the West Bank now?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Israeli tanks have entered some Palestinian cities for the first time in decades. What's behind this latest assault on the occupied territory, and where could it lead if left unchecked?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published