The Russian activist claims to have been poisoned with a possible nerve agent

Natalija Arno experienced “strange symptoms” during a recent trip to Europe, and once returned to her hotel to find her room door open.
In a message published on N. Arno’s social network, it is stated that she woke up at 5 a.m. the next day. in the morning from severe pain and decided to fly home to the USA on the nearest flight.

Although it is not yet confirmed what caused her ailments, the story brings back memories of the Novichok poisoning of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny and the poisoning of five people in Salisbury in 2018.

N. Arno, who was forced to leave Russia due to her pro-democratic activities, in 2014. founded the Free Russia Foundation.

Her Facebook post says she was visiting two European cities in late April and early May when symptoms began.

“In the second city, after a busy day of discussions and meetings, returning to the hotel in the evening, I found the door to my room slightly ajar,” the report reads.

“I checked my things and the room, I didn’t find any bugs, but I immediately smelled a foreign and pungent smell of cheap perfume in the room.”

She left the hotel for a meeting, and when she returned, the scent of the perfume was gone.

N. Arno says in her report that she complained to the receptionist, who said that the maid forgot to close the door.

The next morning, at 5 o’clock morning, she woke up with “severe pain” and “strange symptoms”. She changed flights and returned home to the US early.

“During the flight the symptoms became very strange, walking all over the body and with severe numbness,” she said.

She went to the emergency room “in worsening condition” and various doctors took blood samples, the report said.

Now, two weeks later, she is feeling “much better” but still has some neuropathy symptoms, the report said, as she awaits the results of “various tests” on what happened.

“As far as I understand, this is not the first story about the possible poisoning of Russian journalists and activists.

And this isn’t the first time the hotel door has been left open when “the maid forgot to close it,” she said.

“I thought it was important to elaborate because I wanted to warn our expatriate anti-war, anti-regime, pro-democracy Russian community that even after leaving Russia, we should not lose our vigilance from a country that is waging an aggressive war against Ukraine … and we are not forgotten,” she wrote. .