Exiled Russian journalist Irina Babloyan victim of suspected poisoning in Tbilisi

Irina Babloyan, an exiled Russian journalist who had worked for the shuttered radio station Ekho Moskvy, reportedly fell ill on 25 October 2022 in Tbilisi, Georgia, where she had relocated weeks earlier after leaving Russia. According to The Insider, she experienced severe weakness, dizziness, nausea, stomach pain, insomnia and a metallic taste, followed by a hand-foot syndrome in which her palms turned red or purple and burned. The Committee to Protect Journalists similarly described severe weakness, dizziness, swelling and redness on her palms and the soles of her feet.

Her case was reported alongside the suspected poisonings of other Kremlin critics in the same period, including journalist Elena Kostyuchenko and rights advocate Natalia Arno, with several outlets noting similar symptoms. Babloyan later submitted blood samples for toxicology testing at Berlin's Charité hospital, but the clinic reportedly said her samples had been lost, and a resubmitted sample did not yield conclusive results. Medical experts consulted by The Insider said exogenous poisoning was, in their view, the most likely explanation for her symptoms, though no specific toxin was identified. The episode remains a suspected, unconfirmed poisoning, and the investigation has been inconclusive.

The incident is a suspected poisoning that has never been medically or forensically confirmed. Toxicology testing was hampered by lost and inconclusive blood samples, and no specific substance or perpetrator has been established. Reporting has placed Babloyan's case within a broader pattern of suspected attacks on exiled Russian journalists and Kremlin critics in 2022, including Elena Kostyuchenko and Natalia Arno, but any link or attribution to a state or other actor remains unproven. Press-freedom groups have called for thorough, transparent investigations by German and Georgian authorities. All claims should be treated as alleged and unverified.