Russia’s opposition politician Alexei Navalny landed in Germany to receive medical treatment for a suspected case of poisoning, his spokeswoman said Saturday morning.

“The plane with Alexei has just landed in Berlin”, Kira Yarmysh tweeted.

Navalny was rushed to a Siberian hospital on Thursday after drinking a cup of tea that Yarmysh said she believed was laced with poison. According to Yarmysh, Navalny had drunk a cup of tea at a Tomsk airport cafe before boarding his flight from Tomsk to Moscow. He started feeling unwell on the flight and the plane made an emergency landing in Omsk. He was taken to hospital and later fell into a coma.

On Friday, German air ambulance landed in Omsk with the intention of flying Navalny to Germany for treatment. However, the hospital’s head doctor said he was too unstable to move. Navalny’s team complained authorities wanted to stall for time so that any trace of what poisoned him would disappear.

After more than 24 hours of wrangling between German and Russian medics, Navalny left Russia early Saturday on a flight bound for Germany.

The reversal came as international pressure on Russia’s leadership mounted. German chancellor Angela Merkel was among those who pushed for a speedy transfer for Navalny to Germany.

Berlin’s Charite hospital confirmed in a statement that it had admitted Navalny and was carrying out an “extensive medical diagnosis”.

Navalny, 44, is a fierce critic of president Vladimir Putin. He has endured multiple incarcerations in recent years, a barred attempt to run for president, and a hamstrung bid for the Moscow mayor’s post. Navalny and his allies have been preparing for Russia’s regional elections scheduled for next month.