# Poisoning of Alexei Navalny (2020)

URL: https://history-russia.com/timeline/2020-poisoning-of-alexei-navalny
Categories: main-event

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny collapsed on a flight from Tomsk and was evacuated to Berlin, where laboratories found Novichok. Investigative journalists identified FSB officers who had followed him; the Kremlin denied involvement. Navalny returned to Russia in January 2021 and was arrested at the airport. The poisoning led to new sanctions and mass protests.

## Why it matters
The poisoning led to new sanctions and mass protests.

Ruler at the time: [Vladimir Putin](https://history-russia.com/rulers/vladimir-putin-2012)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Poisoning of Alexei Navalny](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Alexei_Navalny)
- [Wikipedia — Alexei Navalny](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Navalny)
- [Wikipedia — History of the Russian Federation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Russian_Federation)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Poisoning of Alexei Navalny](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Poisoning+of+Alexei+Navalny)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Russian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_history)