Moscow opposition politician Elvira Vikhareva reports she was poisoned with heavy metal salts

Moscow opposition politician Elvira Vikhareva was poisoned by heavy metal salts several months ago, the Russian outlet Sova reported on Friday, citing lab tests that Vikhareva underwent after she started experiencing symptoms.

According to Sota, potassium dichromate, a highly toxic and carcinogenic substance, was found in Vikhareva’s blood.

Vikhareva told journalists that she first noticed symptoms in late November and early December, and that they returned in early February. The symptoms included severe stomach pain, an increased heart rate, numbness in her extremities, muscle spasms, fainting, and hair loss.

Sota noted that Vikhareva hasn’t shown her face on livestream interviews she’s conducted in recent months. She reportedly said that this is because the effects of the poisoning had a noticeable impact on her appearance.

In 2022, Vikhareva planned to run for municipal council in her district of Moscow, but a court barred her from running, citing irregularities in her registration documents.