A joint statement essentially faulted lack of adequate Russian response giving\u00a0“no credible explanation”<\/strong>\u00a0to the allegations which many observers have seen as an eerily familiar repeat to the Skipral affair in the UK.<\/p>\n \u201cNo credible explanation has been provided by Russia so far. In this context, we consider that there is no other plausible explanation for Mr Navalny\u2019s poisoning than a Russian involvement and responsibility,\u201d Foreign Ministers Jean-Yves Le Drian and Heiko Maas said in their\u00a0joint statement Wednesday<\/a>.<\/p>\n The proposal is expected during a meeting of 27 EU foreign ministers scheduled for next Monday. The sanctions are expected to target\u00a0Russian GRU military intelligence officials.<\/p>\n \u201cDrawing the necessary conclusions from these facts, France and Germany will share with European partners proposals for additional sanctions,\u201d the two ministers\u00a0added<\/a>. \u201cProposals will target individuals deemed responsible for this crime and breach of international norms, based on their official function, as well as\u00a0an entity involved in the Novichok program<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Russia will no doubt see this as an ‘absence of evidence means Russia must have done\u00a0it’ type charge which it’s been subject to the in the past amid a charged anti-Moscow atmosphere, spurned on also by the United States.<\/p>\n The allegation that Novichok was involved, again in a seeming replay of the Skipral case, is what has left skeptics scratching their heads, given it’s a Cold War era military grade nerve-agent which was developed only by the Soviet Union. This has left some to point out how\u00a0<\/strong>bizarre the plot is, given how “obvious” Russian fingerprints behind such an “assassination attempt” would be.<\/p>\n Meanwhile Navalny in his first major interview since recovering and leaving the Berlin hospital told\u00a0Der Spiegel<\/em>:\u00a0“I assert that Putin was behind the crime.”<\/strong><\/p>\n The official Kremlin response was even more interesting, which said\u00a0via\u00a0state media sources<\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0“Western intelligence agencies \u2013 in particular, agents from the American CIA \u2013 are working with Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny,”<\/strong>\u00a0according to\u00a0 Putin\u2019s spokesman.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/inline_image_desktop\/public\/inline-images\/navalnynew.jpg?itok=niAbzbAk)