Chubais in European Clinic and Health Update
The former Rosnano head Anatoly Chubais was reported to be in intensive care, a statement relayed by Telegram TV host Ksenia Sobchak and confirmed by sources familiar with the matter. He was in a European clinic at the time.
Sobchak quoted Chubais as saying he had been hospitalized with Guillain-Barré syndrome. The message came through his wife, director Avdotya Smirnova. Smirnova told a journalist that Chubais suddenly fell ill and felt his arms and legs becoming weak and limp.
Later, a TASS source indicated that Chubais’s condition had shown signs of improvement. The program editor for Attention to the News noted that the room where he fell ill had been inspected by specialists in protective suits of chemical defense as a precautionary measure.
Police arrived at the scene and all possible witnesses were questioned. It was not stated whether any toxic substances were found in the room, and officials emphasized that the diagnosis could change as more information emerged.
What is Guillain-Barré syndrome
Guillain-Barré syndrome remains rare in most cases. Its incidence appeared to rise after the Omicron wave, with some cases developing as a complication after COVID-19 infection. There have been rare reports of the syndrome following certain vaccines, including Janssen and AstraZeneca. Severe manifestations can lead to paralysis, yet many patients recover without lasting neurological issues.
Director Andrei Zvyagintsev was hospitalized last June with similar symptoms and spent about a week in a coma. He contracted the coronavirus and subsequently faced significant lung damage, receiving treatment at a German clinic. Neurologist Alexander Evdokimov explained that the root cause of Guillain-Barré remains not fully understood.
He described the disease as an autoimmune condition that can progress rapidly, affecting the nerve coverings and multiple nerve groups. It can present life-threatening complications such as respiratory failure, immobilization, cranial nerve damage, and cardiovascular disruption. The prognosis often depends on how quickly symptoms progress and the immediacy of medical intervention.
Evdokimov noted that treatment usually involves hormonal therapy, immunotherapy, or plasmapheresis to remove immune complexes from the blood and to modulate the immune response.
If it is COVID-19, this is not unprecedented
Chubais contracted the coronavirus in October 2020 after returning from a business trip. He tested positive but managed the illness with work in self-isolation and without hospitalization at that time.
Last summer he joined AFK Sistema as a shareholder, a major Russian investment group known for its vaccine production capacity through Sputnik V. His stake was a small one, and he stepped down from the board in April. Details about his vaccination status were not disclosed in public sources. He turned 67 in June.
Travel and public life
On March 23 a report indicated that Chubais resigned from his post as special presidential representative and left Russia. Bloomberg reported this decision was linked to his stance on the Ukraine conflict. Within a few days he reportedly traveled to Turkey and Italy, and by early May was seen at an airport in Israel. Later, law enforcement sources discussed possible checks on Chubais accounts held in European banks, with potential holdings in foreign currency described as substantial.
Chubais has been a central figure in Russia’s electricity sector reform during the 2000s and a leading voice in economic reforms during the 1990s. He served as chairman of Rusnano from 2011 to 2020 and was appointed by President Putin as special representative for relations with international organizations in December 2020.