Russian Opposition Activist In Critical Condition With Sudden "Liver Failure"

BBC News- A prominent Russian opposition activist has been hospitalized with organ failure, two years after he almost died of suspected poisoning.

Journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who works for pro-democracy group Open Russia, fell ill at about 05:00 local time (02:00 GMT).

The activist nearly died when he suffered sudden kidney failure in 2015.

“He is already on life support and in a medicated coma. It’s the same clinical picture [as last time],” Evgenia Kara-Murza told the BBC. “The reason is unclear like last time. He’s been active and healthy [recently].”

There are certain life choices that I cannot understand. Bull riding, base jumping, and free solo rock climbing (no ropes) are near the top of the list, but none of them even compares to the foolishness of Russian opposition activism. What do they think they’re going to accomplish? Russia has been ruled by some autocrat since forever. There is no country on earth better at keeping everyone “on the same page.” In other words, get on board or you’ll be eating cyanide porridge tomorrow. It’s not exactly subtle but it’s how they do things and I don’t see it changing anytime soon.

We know this. But for some reason, these renegades keep popping up every year with mysterious organ failure. The doctors provide some tenuous diagnosis, but it’s almost comical how haphazard the excuses have become. This was the reasoning from his FIRST poisoning:

In 2015, the chief doctor at the Moscow hospital treating Mr Kara-Murza told the BBC that tests had revealed traces of an anti-depressant. He speculated that the citalopram, which the activist was taking, may have accumulated in his body if he had a prior, undetected kidney problem. It may also have reacted with an antihistamine Mr Kara-Murza used for hay fever.

His father rejected that theory, saying he did not believe an innocuous nasal spray could have triggered the “nuclear explosion” in his son’s kidneys.

Hey doc, what happened? “Oh, uhm, it looks like his flonase had a bad reaction with, uhhh, his sad pills, so his kidneys exploded. Happens all the time really. He should have asked the pharmacist for instructions.”

Martyrdom is heroic when it catalyzes change. Sadly, those who stand up to the Russian establishment are dealt with and forgotten. The Siberian Express runs downhill: climb aboard or die on the tracks.