Kremlin critic Navalny posts photo from hospital, plans return to Russia

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny shared a photograph from a Berlin hospital on Tuesday, sitting up in bed and surrounded by his family, and said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month.

"Hi, this is Navalny. I miss you all," he wrote in the caption to his Instagram followers. "I can still hardly do anything, but yesterday I could breathe all day on my own. Actually on my own."

Navalny, the leading opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell violently sick in Siberia last month and was airlifted to Berlin. Germany says laboratory tests in three countries have determined he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent, and Western governments have demanded an explanation from Russia.

Moscow has called the accusations groundless. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated on Tuesday that Moscow was open to clearing up what happened to Navalny, but it needed access to information on his case from Germany.

Peskov said everyone would be happy if Navalny recovered, and he was free to return to Russia. But he said Moscow did not understand why, if French and Swedish laboratories had been able to test his medical samples, Russia was not being given the same access.

No other option but for Navalny to return to Russia, says spokeswoman

Alexei Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that he plans to return to Russia from Germany, where he is being treated in hospital following his suspected poisoning last month, his

Yarmysh, in response to questions from journalists about Navalny's travel plans, wrote: "I'll confirm again to everyone: no other options were ever considered."