When Natalia Arno returned to his hotel, his room door was open.
It was the beginning of last May, and Arno, a Russian activist living in the United States, was on a business trip in Prague. Arno heads the Free Russia Foundation, an organization that promotes the democratization of Russia.
Arno’s alarm bells started ringing at the door of the room.
– My first thought was not that the cleaner had forgotten to close the door. I thought that an FSB agent was waiting for me in the room, Arno tells in a video interview.
The idea was from the days when Arno still lived in Russia. At that time, the Russian security service FSB monitored and constantly threatened an activist opposing the regime. Now, however, we were a NATO country in the Czech Republic.
There was no one in the room, but there was a strange smell on the edge of the bed.
– It was a very strong, cheap and unpleasant smell. And strange.
Arno went through the room, his clothes and belongings for eavesdropping devices. They could have been left by one of Russia’s numerous security services.
They have been spying and harassing the organization led by Arno for years.
When nothing was found, he closed the door and returned to the workshop for which he had come to Prague.
Poisoning didn’t cross my mind
In the morning he woke up with a strong toothache.
– Usually I can stand any pain. However, this was unbearable, Arno says.
Arno realized that he could not continue his work trip according to his original plan. So he took the earliest possible flight home to Washington.
At this point, it didn’t even occur to him that he could have been poisoned.
– If I had had the slightest doubt that this could be poisoning, I would not have boarded the intercontinental flight. I know how dangerous it would be to be so many hours without a doctor’s help, says Arno.
The completely far-fetched idea of poisoning would not have been. Many opponents of the Russian regime have fallen victim to poisoning in recent years.
The latest suspicions of poisoning were reported the other week. In addition to Arno, two Russian journalists have also developed strange poisoning symptoms in Europe in recent months.
You can read about these and other more famous cases of poisoning below.
On the flight, Arno’s symptoms worsened.
– My vision started to fade. My head ached. My limbs started to go numb, especially my right hand, says Arno.
The pain started to travel all over the body.
– It was no longer in the teeth. It was in the armpits, ears, eyes and then the stomach. I had a very strange rocky taste in my mouth that I couldn’t get rid of. Numbness started spreading to my spine, Arno says.
After he survived the harrowing flight, he marched straight to the dentist. There it was found that there was nothing wrong with the teeth.
The next address was the hospital. There, Arno was immediately admitted to the emergency room.
At this point, Arno had already been in contact with other activists and began to suspect that there was no natural explanation for the symptoms.
– I asked them not to start any treatments yet or even give painkillers. I asked them to take all possible samples first, says Arno.
Doctors: Arno was exposed to a nerve agent
There is no complete certainty of poisoning. The case is being investigated by the US FBI, and Arno cannot reveal its details.
He says that the doctors recently found that he suffers from neuropathy, i.e. dysfunction of the peripheral nervous system.
– According to them, it cannot come from natural causes, but rather from exposure to a nerve agent, says Arno.
Arno believes that the Russian regime is behind the poisoning.
– They don’t care about borders. They have killed people illegally in many countries, says Arno.
Survived two poisonings in Russia Vladimir Kara-Murza was previously the vice-chairman of the board of the Arno organization.
Arno thinks it is worrying that the poisoning probably happened in Prague.
– We thought that when we are in exile, we are safe. Especially if we are in an EU and NATO country. But unfortunately this is not the case, says Arno.
The intention was perhaps to silence Putin’s opponent
Arno says that after the events, he still suffers from numbness in his other hand.
– There are no medicines for this. If the neural pathways are good enough, they may regenerate in a year, says Arno.
According to Arno, the purpose of the poisoning was not necessarily to kill him but to silence him. He is still not going to be afraid, but to continue his work to overthrow the Russian regime.
Arno hopes that the culprits will be held accountable. Nowadays, surveillance cameras are everywhere and people leave digital traces of themselves.
– Putin and his administration became what they are because they were not punished. That’s why they have committed more and more crimes, says Arno.
While awaiting trial, Arno has advised the exiled opposition movement to take its security even more seriously.
According to one theory, the poison may have been in the toothpaste, because the pain was first felt in the teeth.
– One of my recommendations has been that you should take disposable toothpastes and toothbrushes with you on trips.