Ex-Kremlin aide Anatoly Chubais seen in ICU, can’t close eyes – New York Post

Anatoly Chubais, the most senior Kremlin official to flee Russia after war was waged on Ukraine, has been photographed in intensive care in Italy — where he is said to be partially paralyzed and unable to close his eyes.

The 67-year-old former chief of staff and deputy prime minister was pictured staring at the camera with a grim expression, his arms covered in bruises and a drip in his right hand.

“His condition has stabilized, but [Chubais] is still in intensive care,” wrote reporter and ex-presidential election candidate Ksenia Sobchak, citing the exiled politician’s wife, Avdotya Smirnova.

“Now his legs and arms do not work well, his eyes cannot be closed, and he has partial facial paralysis,” Sobchak wrote alongside the shared pics.

Chubais was hospitalized in Sardinia, where he was vacationing after quitting as a special envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin in March, soon after the start of the war.

His sudden sickness was investigated by Sardinia’s public prosecutor as well as secret service agents to rule out poisoning, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The alarm followed a spate of high-profile attacks on those deemed enemies of Russia’s warmongering president, who the same month as Chubais’ exit had threatened to “spit” out “scum and traitors” unwilling to support his brutal war.

However, Sobchak insisted that Chubais has “finally confirmed the diagnosis,” saying that he is stricken by Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves.

In severe cases, it can cause life-threatening problems such as severe breathing difficulties or blood clots.

“I don’t think it is poisoning,” a source also told Reuters.

“He thinks it’s a disease,” another source confirmed. “Doctors say they found it in time.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the news of Chubais’ illness was sad and wished him a speedy recovery.

Chubais, who once served as President Boris Yeltsin’s chief of staff, was Putin’s special representative for ties with international organizations before his resignation.

With Post wires

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Ex-Kremlin aide Anatoly Chubais seen in ICU, can’t close eyes – New York Post