Berlin: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posted a picture of himself from his hospital bed in Germany on Tuesday, looking gaunt but alert and saying that he was happy to be breathing on his own finally after being poisoned with a nerve agent.
The Instagram post was the first image of the 44-year-old released since he was taken to Berlin's Charite hospital two days after falling ill on a domestic flight in Russia on August 20.
"Hi, this is Navalny," he wrote in the Russian-language post. "I have been missing you. I still can't do much, but yesterday I managed to breathe on my own for the entire day."
Read also: West demands answers as Germany claims Navalny poisoned
Navalny had been kept in an induced coma for more than a week as he was treated with an antidote before hospital officials said a week ago that his condition had improved enough for him to be brought out of it.
On Monday, the hospital said he had been removed from mechanical ventilation and was able to leave his bed for "short periods of time".
Read also: Explained: Novichok that sickened Navalny a Cold War relic
In the photo, Navalny is being given a hug by his wife Yulia Navalnaya and is flanked by his two children as he sits upright in his bed in a hospital gown, and his statement even had the ring of his well-known sarcastic humour.
"Just on my own, no extra help, I didn't even use the simplest valve in my throat," he said of being able to breathe without ventilation. "I liked it very much. It's a remarkable process that is underestimated by many. Strongly recommended."
Despite his recovery, doctors have said they cannot rule out long-term health issues associated with the poisoning.
Navalny's spokesman, Leonid Volkov, refused to give any details on the leader's condition or possible plans after his recovery when reached by The Associated Press on Tuesday.
AP
