Sergey Lavrov

Moscow will mirror the response to the EU's imposition of sanctions over the situation with Alexei Navalny. This statement was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, writes “Interfax”.

“Now the Germans are not going to provide any facts, despite all the international legal obligations. We answer in a mirror-like manner, this is a diplomatic practice, “the head of the Foreign Ministry explained. He stressed that the use of the sanctions policy and the expulsion of Russian diplomats indicate the good attitude of European countries towards the United States and Great Britain. The foreign minister added that such gestures also demonstrate amenability to the influence of Washington, which is trying to prevent European countries from establishing cooperation with Russia in a number of areas.

Earlier, the minister called the situation with Navalny a reason for increasing sanctions pressure on Russia from Western countries. He added that if this incident had not occurred, the Western partners “would have come up with something else.”

Navalny's health sharply deteriorated on the morning of August 20 during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow, the plane made an emergency landing in Omsk. On August 22, the oppositionist was taken to a Berlin clinic. German experts said that traces of a substance from the Novichok group were found in his body. Russian doctors found no poisons in Navalny's body.

On October 13, the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, notified Sergei Lavrov of the imposition of sanctions due to the situation with the Russian opposition. He specified that the restrictions will affect those who, in the opinion of the countries of the union, are involved in the incident. He also called on Moscow to investigate.