How Navalny Recovered After Being Discharged From Hospital — and How He Returned to Work

A brief summary of a Reuters report on the politician's life in Germany

In early October, shortly after being discharged from hospital, Alexei Navalny settled in the village of Ibach in the Black Forest . He lived in an apartment in an upscale complex overlooking the Alps, and his home was guarded by armed police. Navalny's assistant hired a 23-year-old fitness trainer from a nearby town: the conditions were that he speak English and keep secrets. At the beginning, the politician could barely do five push-ups, but he worked very purposefully. Together with the trainer, they boxed and ran for hours, and in his free time, Navalny worked or went on excursions in the surrounding area. In early December, the politician moved to Freiburg, where he began working on a film about "Putin's palace." He had long considered such an investigation, but was worried about the consequences. However, as he became more convinced of Vladimir Putin's involvement in his poisoning, he became increasingly focused on the investigation. Much of the film was shot and produced at a studio in the small town of Kirchzarten, where employees were required to keep information about the filming secret. To work on the film, Navalny traveled to Dresden and Berlin, where he visited archives to see Putin's ID. Some of Navalny's supporters hoped that he would remain in Germany for a while for safety's sake. Yevgeny Chichvarkin met with him and advised him to wait, but Navalny decided to return to Russia. He did not seek asylum in Germany.

Reuters' report on Navalny's life in Germany can be read here .

Retold by Grigory Levchenko

Photo in the announcement: Alexey Navalny / Instagram / AFP / Scanpix / LETA