Four days after he was detained by Russian police for organising a mass protest, opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been hospitalised for a "severe allergic reaction" according to his spokesperson.
Navalny was serving a 30-day sentence for calling for mass protests after state authorities blocked prominent opposition leaders from taking part in city council elections. Over 1,400 were arrested in Moscow as part of police crackdowns conducted over the weekend.
Navalny's spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, tweeted that the source of his allergic reaction was not yet known. According to her, Navalny had never experienced a reaction like this in his life.
"This morning (9.30 am), Alexey Navalny was hospitalized with a diagnosis of 'acute allergic reaction': severe swelling of the face and redness of the skin. The source of the allergic reaction is not determined. Throughout his life, Alexey had never experienced an allergic reaction."
She added that he was in a ward being provided medical attention under the supervision of police officers. Curiously, Navalny's campaign chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, claims that he suffered a similar allergic reaction after being housed in the same cell the previous month, according to AFP. Volkov says this is not a conspiracy, but urged that a "serious inspection" of hygiene standards at the cell be undertaken.
A lawyer who was considered Putin's nemesis, Navalny was barred from contesting elections in 2018. He was also banned from appearing on state TV, a move that affected his ranking in public opinion polls, which almost unanimously favour Putin. He works with the Progress Party.
According to the BBC, nearly 20,000 took to the streets of Moscow on July 20, demanding fair elections. Navalny called it the biggest protests he had seen since 2012, when thousands rallied against what was called a flawed electoral system.
Following the crackdown, Putin attended and led a Navy Day parade at St. Petersberg. With 43 ships and submarines as well as 4,000 troops, it is the largest naval parade Russia has held in recent years. The parade takes place in the wake of Ukraine seizing a Russian tanker near the port of Ismail.