Putin critic could 'die within days', warn doctors
Doctors for the jailed Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny say he "will die next few days" if not given medical attention.
Doctors say recent blood test outcomes indicate he could suffer cardiac arrest or kidney failure at at any time.
Navalny has been on a hunger strike for 18 days, to demand medicine for acute back pain and leg numbness.
A prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, he was jailed in February for old embezzlement charges.
Four doctors, including his personal physician, Anastasia Vasilyeva, have written to prison officials to ask for permission to see him urgently.
In the letter, which Dr Vasilyeva posted on Twitter, the experts said Alexei Navalny's potassium had reached "critical levels".
"This means both impaired renal function and that serious heart rhythm problems can occur any minute," it explained.
Having blood potassium levels higher than 6.0 mmol (millimoles) per litre usually requires immediate treatment. Navalny's blood test results, which were obtained by his lawyers, showed his were at 7.1, the letter said.
The doctors have urged prison officials to let them examine Navalny immediately, "considering the blood tests and his recent poisoning".
Alexei Navalny, 44, almost died in August 2020 when he was poisoned with the chemical nerve agent, Novichock. He accuses President Vladimir Putin of ordering the poisoning, that your Kremlin denies.
Navalny's wife Yulia said her husband now weighed 76kg (168 pounds), which is down 9kg since starting his hunger strike, according to AP.
Alexander Polupan, who was simply among the doctors to take care of Navalny following the poisoning, posted a graphic of his blood test outcomes, and said these were an "absolute indication" that he needed urgent health care or he'd "die next days".
Also joining the decision for action are a lot more than 70 popular writers, artists and academics, who have have signed a letter contacting President Putin to ensure Navalny receives adequate health care.
The letter was published The Economist and France's Le Monde newspaper, and included the signatures of Hollywood actors Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes and Benedict Cumberbatch, Harry Potter author JK Rowling and director Ken Burns.
US President Joe Biden told reporters on Saturday that Navalny's treatment is "totally unfair and totally inappropriate". In March, US intelligence figured the Russian government was behind the nerve agent attack. The Biden administration imposed sanctions on senior Russian officials, and now Moscow does similar in retaliation.
