German prosecutors have initiated an investigation into the suspected attempted murder of Elena Kostyuchenko, a Russian journalist based in Berlin. Kostyuchenko is one of three Russian exile journalists who exhibited symptoms consistent with poisoning.
Elena Kostyuchenko, a foreign correspondent known for exposing alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine, encountered a harrowing ordeal last October. During a train journey from Munich to Berlin, she suffered from severe disorientation, abdominal pain, and swollen extremities.
Recently, The Insider, an investigative portal, disclosed that medical professionals they had consulted had identified her symptoms as being consistent with poisoning.
The Insider also reported that two other Russian women journalists living in exile experienced similar poisoning symptoms during the same period. In May 2023, Natalia Arno, the president of the U.S.-based Free Russia Foundation, fell ill in Prague. In October, radio journalist Irina Babloyan became unwell in Tbilisi.
Initially, both Kostyuchenko and her medical team believed her symptoms to be related to COVID-19. Unfortunately, by the time comprehensive tests were conducted, it was too late to detect any traces of poison or confirm poisoning.
German prosecutors have not divulged further information about their ongoing investigation, citing its sensitivity.
Elena Kostyuchenko had previously worked for Novaya Gazeta, an independent newspaper renowned for its reporting on Russia. The publication was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its coverage and once had Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist who was tragically murdered after reporting on Russia’s conflicts in Chechnya, among its former staff.
Currently residing in concealment, Kostyuchenko still bears the lingering effects of the alleged poisoning.
