Is it a coincidence or is Putin farewelling his enemies with his message in a bottle?

Get well soon. Wink wink, nudge nudge. Daily Mail, August 20:

The Kremlin has wished Putin’s arch-rival Alexei Navalny a “speedy recovery” as doctors battle to save his life amid claims he was poisoned with a toxin that was poured into his tea. The lawyer and anti-corruption campaigner was left screaming in agony after falling ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow on Thursday morning …

Name your poison. BBC, Monday:

The Berlin hospital treating the seriously ill Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, says … “clinical evidence suggests an intoxication through a substance belonging to the group of cholinesterase inhibitors”.

They sound nasty. The Conversation, Tuesday:

It’s no exaggeration to say this group represents the most lethal chemicals humans have ever created. Ultim­ately, death is usually a result of respiratory failure.

Is there a pattern here? The Independent, April 9, 2017:

British police investigating the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko with a radioactive cup of tea in London have revealed they were also poisoned in what they think was a Russian-backed attack. The inquiry into the murder of Mr Litvinenko found his death was “probably” sanctioned by Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Don’t order the tea. The New York Times, February 6, 2017:

A leader of the Russian opposition who has been a vocal critic of what he calls a Kremlin policy of assassinating political enemies has fallen into a life-threatening coma caused by an unknown poison … doctors puzzle over (Vladimir Kara-Murza’s) symptoms while keeping him alive on artificial respiration. Mr. Kara-Murza suffered similar symptoms in 2015 …

That Skripal is no good. Vladimir said so. Nine News, October 4, 2018:

President Vladimir Putin says that Sergei Skripal, the Russian former double agent who was poisoned in Britain, was a scumbag who betrayed Russia. Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found slumped on a public bench in the English city of Salisbury in March. Britain says they were poisoned with a nerve agent administered by Russian intelligence officers.

What is it with Putin and poison? The Sun, August 21:

Poisonings linked to the Kremlin have left opponents disfigured, in medically induced comas, and worst of all dying slow and painful deaths. And the method seems to differ every time, with poison-tipped umbrellas, chemical agents daubed on doorknobs, or simply toxins spiked into victims food and drinks. Experts have said Putin’s apparent fetish for such a medieval weapon is for … “vicious theatricality”.

Sometimes there’s no time for tea. Irish Times, October 10, 2006:

Mourners gathered today at the funeral of Anna Politkovskaya, a prominent reporter and critic of President Vladimir Putin. Politkovskaya was shot dead on Saturday at her apartment block in central Moscow in a killing prosecutors linked to her work.

There are poisoned minds at work. The Guardian, March 24, 2017:

A former Russian MP who had fled to Ukraine was shot dead on a busy street in central Kiev on Thursday. Denis Voronenkov, who had spoken out against Vladimir Putin …

Give him time. Washington Post, March 25, 2017:

Not everyone who has a quarrel with Russian President Vladimir Putin dies in violent or suspicious circumstances …