Alexei Navalny, the poisoned Russian opposition leader, has regained consciousness and is reacting to stimuli, doctors announced on Monday. He has been brought out of a medically induced coma for the first time since his suspected poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok, and is starting to breathe on his own. The news came as Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, said he had summoned the Russian ambassador to register the UK’s “deep concern about the poisoning”. “It’s completely unacceptable that a banned chemical weapon has been used and Russia must hold a full, transparent investigation,” Mr Raab tweeted. Mr Navalny’s doctors stressed it is too early to determine whether he has suffered any long-term damage. The prominent Kremlin critic is being treated at Berlin’s Charite Hospital after being transferred from Russia last month. “The patient has been removed from his medically induced coma and is being weaned off mechanical ventilation. He is responding to verbal stimuli,” the hospital said in a statement. “It remains too early to gauge the potential long-term effects of his severe poisoning.”
