Russian right activist awakes again after ‘poisoning’

MOSCOW: A member of the Pussy Riot punk band who took part in the World Cup final pitch invasion and was hospitalised with suspected poisoning, has regained consciousness and left intensive care, his girlfriend told Russian media. “Petya (Pyotr) has regained consciousness,” girlfriend and fellow Pussy Riot activist Veronika Nikulshina said Friday evening. Pyotr Verzilov, who has both Canadian and Russian citizenship, was admitted to hospital following a court hearing on Tuesday and later transferred to a Moscow trauma centre where staff described his condition as “serious”. Nikulshina told Meduza news site he had been moved out of intensive care but was still experiencing hallucinations and delirium. There has so far been no official statement on the cause of his illness. Nikulshina said Verzilov, 30, had been poisoned by a large amount of medicine. “It’s definitely poisoning, poisoning with anti-cholinergic drugs,” Nikulshina told Meduza. “This is a question of a large dose.” Such drugs are used to treat a range of issues including lung conditions. Verzilov’s relatives have told media that he was not taking any medication.