Pyotr Verzilov, an anti-Kremlin activist being treated in a Berlin hospital for suspected poisoning, has been given a police guard for his own protection, a close friend who visited him in hospital said on Tuesday. Verzilov, publisher of a Russian online news portal with close ties to punk protest group Pussy Riot, fell ill suddenly two weeks ago, losing his sight, hearing and the ability to walk. German doctors have not found any traces of poison in his body though they say there is no other explanation for his condition. Verzilov, in a tweet from hospital on Tuesday, said he had been stricken by "wonderful poisons ... something new and surprising."

Hunter Heaney, a close friend who visited Verzilov in Berlin's Charite hospital, said he noticed he was being followed by two unknown people near his home and close to the hospital. He was worried about his safety and called the German police. The police responded by putting Verzilov, his family members and Heaney under police guard for their protection. "We are very definitely under police protection all the time," he told Reuters by phone from Berlin. A spokesman for Berlin police said they were in contact with Verzilov and his entourage and the situation was constantly being assessed. "We ask for your understanding that we do not comment on possible measures in detail," the spokesman said. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, a Pussy Riot member who was previously in a relationship with Verzilov and has a child from their relationship, visited him in Berlin and returned to Moscow only on Sunday. She told Reuters in Moscow that his condition had improved and he could be discharged from hospital in a few days. She said, though, that he was still suffering from bouts of delirium and his pupils had dilated.