Jailed Russian opposition leader and Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said on Friday he would end his weekslong hunger strike.
Navalny said in an Instagram post that he would end the strike that he began on March 31 to demand proper medical care.
The news comes days after protests across Russia calling for his release as his team said it feared his life was in danger.
“Thanks to the huge support of good people across the country and around the world, we have made huge progress,” Navalny said on Instagram on Friday, the 24th day of his hunger strike.
He said he would continue to demand a visit from his doctor to address a loss of sensation in his legs and arms, but said he would stop refusing food after he was examined by non-prison doctors.
Navalny’s allies said at the weekend that his life was hanging by a thread and a medical trade union with ties to the prominent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was in a critical condition. It cited medical tests which it said showed that his kidneys could soon fail, which could lead to cardiac arrest.
The fate of the 44-year-old is adding to already severe strains in Russia’s ties with the West.
President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that the government had told Russia “there will be consequences” if Navalny dies in prison.
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