Putin official who left Russia to protest war rushed to

Putin official who left Russia to protest war rushed to intensive care unit ‘feared of poisoning’

Top Russian official Anatoly Chubais “is hospitalized and fears he is POISONED” after quitting Putin’s government to protest the invasion of Ukraine and fleeing to an unnamed European country.

  • Anatoly Chubais, who was the first to “discover talent” with Putin, fled the Kremlin when war broke out
  • The 67-year-old fell ill in an unspecified Western European district
  • Mr Chubais’ room was examined by forensic investigators in hazmat suits
  • His wife Avdotya Smirnova, a film director, said his condition was “unstable”.

A senior Putin official who left office and Russia in protest at Ukraine was rushed to intensive care after suffering sudden acute numbness in his arms and legs.

Protective suit specialists examined the room where Anatoly Chubais, 67, fell ill in an unspecified western country in Europe.

The report is by journalist Ksenia Sobchak, a former Russian presidential candidate.

The initial diagnosis is Guillain-Barré Syndrome, but investigations are ongoing after repeated cases of poisoning by Putin’s enemies.

Anatoly Chubais is credited with

Anatoly Chubais is credited with “spotting talent” for Putin in the 1990s before he left the country

Sobchak explained: “In this case, the diagnosis can change.”

She said that “the room where Chubais was when he was unwell was examined by chemical suit specialists.

“And the police questioned all the witnesses.”

His wife Avdotya Smirnova, 56, a film director, said his condition was “unstable,” Sobchak said.

“It got bad, suddenly the arms and legs went numb.”

Chubais himself was quoted as saying: “I was hospitalized in one of the European clinics with a diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome. A condition of moderate severity, stable.’

Chubais (pictured with Putin in 2016) is said to have Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Chubais (pictured with Putin in 2016) is said to have Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Chubais resigned as Putin’s special envoy to international organizations in March – and left Russia to live in exile in protest at the war, media reports say.

He is believed to be the highest-ranking Russian official to resign because of this.

He is a former Kremlin Deputy Prime Minister who led the privatization of Russia’s economy after the fall of communism in Boris Yeltsin’s government.

He remained a key figure under Putin – and headed Russia’s state electricity monopoly RAO UES from 1998 to 2008.

Chubais (left) has long been considered Russia's top-ranking pro-West politician (pictured in 2007 with German energy magnate Wulf Bernotat, while Putin and Angela Merkel consult behind them).

Chubais (left) has long been considered Russia’s top-ranking pro-West politician (pictured in 2007 with German energy magnate Wulf Bernotat, while Putin and Angela Merkel consult behind them).

For the next 12 years he ran RUSNANO, Russia’s nanotechnology company.

He was considered the most prominent pro-Western politician on Putin’s team.

He was photographed in a Cypriot supermarket in early June and before that there were reports he had been to Israel and Turkey.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a rare and serious condition that can be life-threatening and affects nerves in the feet, hands and limbs.

It causes numbness, weakness and pain.