Anatoly Chubais, the most senior Kremlin official to flee Russia after war was waged on Ukraine, has been photographed in intensive care in Italy — where he is said to be partially paralyzed and unable to close his eyes.
The 67-year-old former chief of staff and deputy prime minister was pictured staring at the camera with a grim expression, his arms covered in bruises and a drip in his right hand.
“His condition has stabilized, but [Chubais] is still in intensive care,” wrote reporter and ex-presidential election candidate Ksenia Sobchak, citing the exiled politician’s wife, Avdotya Smirnova.
“Now his legs and arms do not work well, his eyes cannot be closed, and he has partial facial paralysis,” Sobchak wrote alongside the shared pics.
Chubais was hospitalized in Sardinia, where he was vacationing after quitting as a special envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin in March, soon after the start of the war.
“Now his legs and arms do not work well, his eyes cannot be closed, and he has partial facial paralysis,” a Russian reporter said of an update from Chubais’ wife. Ksenia Sobchak / East2west News
Chubais’ “condition has stabilized” but he’s “still in intensive care,” Ksenia Sobchak said as she shared the provided pics. Ksenia Sobchak/ East2west NewsHis sudden sickness was investigated by Sardinia’s public prosecutor as well as secret service agents to rule out poisoning, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The alarm followed a spate of high-profile attacks on those deemed enemies of Russia’s warmongering president, who the same month as Chubais’ exit had threatened to “spit” out “scum and traitors” unwilling to support his brutal war.
However, Sobchak insisted that Chubais has “finally confirmed the diagnosis,” saying that he is stricken by Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves.
Anatoly Chubais was once a key adviser to Vladimir Putin before quitting the Kremlin soon after war was waged on Ukraine. via TVK6/east2west news
Chubais and those around him do not believe he was poisoned, despite a spate of such attacks on those who defy Putin. APIn severe cases, it can cause life-threatening problems such as severe breathing difficulties or blood clots.
“I don’t think it is poisoning,” a source also told Reuters.
“He thinks it’s a disease,” another source confirmed. “Doctors say they found it in time.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the news of Chubais’ illness was sad and wished him a speedy recovery.
Chubais once served as President Boris Yeltsin’s chief of staff. via TVK6/east2west newsChubais, who once served as President Boris Yeltsin’s chief of staff, was Putin’s special representative for ties with international organizations before his resignation.
With Post wires
