Pussy Riot links member’s ‘poisoning’ to African murder probe

Pyotr Verzilov may have been poisoned due to investigation into the deaths of three Russian journalists shot dead in the Central African Republic while investigating a Russian mercenary group

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Stewards remove member of the Pussy Riot punk group Pyotr Verzilov during the Russia 2018 World Cup final football match between France and Croatia. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:24pm, 20 Sep 2018Updated: 9:11pm, 20 Sep 2018

Russian punk group Pussy Riot on Wednesday linked the suspected poisoning of member Pyotr Verzilov with his attempt to investigate the deaths of three Russian journalists in Africa.

The journalists were shot dead on July 30 in the Central African Republic (CAR) while investigating a shadowy Russian mercenary group for a project founded by Kremlin foe Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Verzilov’s estranged wife, told the independent channel TV Dozhd that he received a report on the killings a day before falling ill last week.

Karl Max Einhaeupl, chairman of the Charite hospital, says it is highly plausible that Pyotr Verzilov was poisoned. Photo: EPA-EFE

“We think that [Verzilov’s involvement in the inquiry] is one of the possible scenarios because Petya could be of interest to Russian secret services or state structures including in the Central African Republic,” she said, using a shorter version of his name.

Verzilov, who has both Canadian and Russian citizenship, was admitted to a Moscow clinic on September 11 following a court hearing, with symptoms including vision loss and disorientation.

He was flown to Germany on Saturday by the Cinema for Peace Foundation NGO. Doctors say he is now out of danger.