Post-Soviet reformer Anatoly Chubais, who left Russia following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, has reportedly been discharged from a hospital in Italy where he was being treated for a rare immunity disorder.
The Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported on August 6 that Chubais walked out of the medical facility in Sardinia with no assistance that day and had left for Frankfurt, Germany, for rehabilitation.
Chubais, 67, had been receiving treatment for the past week for suspected Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, which can lead to numbness of the limbs and eventually paralysis.
While the results of toxicological tests have not yet been received, La Repubblica reported, doctors said the well-known former official had responded well to treatment and were certain they were dealing with Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Chubais's hospitalization -- coming after he reportedly resigned from his post as a special representative to Russian President Vladimir Putin in March because he disagreed with Moscow's invasion of Ukraine the month prior -- had led to some speculation by Russian opposition activists that he might have been poisoned.
Several opponents of Putin’s rule have suffered from poisoning attacks, often outside Russia. The Kremlin has denied trying to poison its foes despite strong evidence in many cases implicating Russian authorities.
Italian police were investigating the situation for any signs of foul play, but reportedly did not think poisoning was the cause of Chubais's illness.
Chubais's hospitalization while vacationing on the resort island of Sardinia was reported on August 1 by Russian TV personality Ksenia Sobchak.
Sobchak wrote on Telegram that Chubais's wife, Avdotya Smirnova, had told her that Chubais had been placed in intensive care.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the time that he had no information about any requests from Chubais, who once served as former President Boris Yeltsin's chief of staff, or his representatives for help.
"Certainly, this is sad news and we wish him a quick recovery," Peskov said.
Before leaving Russia in March, Chubais resigned from his position as President Putin's envoy for stable development.
He did not say why he was leaving either the post or the country, but many observers suggested it was the highest-profile protest inside the Kremlin against Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Bloomberg had reported that Chubais expressed opposition to the invasion of Ukraine upon his departure.
Chubais is well-known in Russia, having held high-profile posts since the early 1990s, when he oversaw the efforts to sell off some of the country's biggest industrial assets during Yeltsin's time in office.