9/19/20
Alexei Navalny has said he has difficulty performing everyday functions and that he faces a “long road” of recovery after his Novichok poisoning which left him in a coma. The opposition leader posted an update to his Instagram page Saturday from the Charite clinic in Berlin where he is being treated, outlining more details about his physical condition. “Let me tell you how my recovery is going. There is already a clear road, though a long one,” he wrote. “A phone in my hands is as useless as a stone,” Navalny wrote, adding that “pouring a glass of water” was still a huge challenge for the anti-corruption campaigner almost one month after he fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow and was hospitalized.
“Not long ago, I didn't recognize people and didn't know how to talk,” he said, explaining how he was unable to complete a task where doctors asked him to write words on a board. “I understood what the doctor wanted, but I didn't know where to get the words ... All of it was absolutely incomprehensible. However, I didn't know how to express my despair either, so I just didn't say anything.” Navalny says his condition has improved since then but he still has trouble performing basic activities. “Now I'm a guy whose legs shake when walking up the stairs … So many problems still have to be solved.”
