Navalny ally Leonid Volkov in hospital after attack in Lithuania

Leonid Volkov, a close supporter of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was taken to the hospital on Tuesday after being attacked outside his house in Lithuania, according to local police.

Volkov, 43, is one of Russia’s most famous opposition politicians and a close ally of Navalny, having served as the late leader’s former chief of staff and chair of his Anti-Corruption Foundation until 2023.

“Leonid Volkov has just been attacked outside his house. Someone broke a car window and sprayed tear gas in his eyes, after which the attacker started hitting Leonid with a hammer,” Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on X, formerly Twitter.

Photos of Volkov’s injuries, which included a black eye, a red mark on his forehead, and blood on his leg that had seeped through his pants, were posted on social media by Volkov’s wife, Anna Biryukova.

Later, Volkov was shown on a stretcher being taken into an ambulance by Navalny’s squad.

According to Lithuanian police spokeswoman Ramunas Matonis, who spoke with AFP, a Russian national was beaten close to his Vilnius, the country’s capital, at about ten o’clock at night (2000 GMT).

“A lot of police are working at the scene,” Matonis said.

The suspects have not been identified and more details about the assault are expected on Wednesday morning, he added.

Police confirmed that Volkov had been admitted into hospital.

Attack is ‘shocking’

The attack comes almost a month after Navalny’s death in an Arctic prison, which Volkov blamed on Russian President Vladimir Putin, and days before elections set to extend the Kremlin chief’s stay in power.

The day before he was attacked, Volkov wrote on social media: “Putin killed Navalny. And many others before that.”

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis condemned Volkov’s beating in a social media post.

“News about Leonid’s assault are shocking. Relevant authorities are at work. Perpetrators will have to answer for their crime,” he said on X.

NATO member Lithuania is home to many Russian exiles and has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine throughout Russia’s invasion.

Russian dissidents who have spoken out against the Kremlin often complain of being targeted with threats and attacks.

Volkov told the independent Russian news outlet Meduza hours before he was beaten on Tuesday that he was worried for his safety after Navalny’s death.

“The key risk now is that we will all be killed. Why, it’s a pretty obvious thing,” the outlet quoted him as saying.

Volkov went into exile in 2019 along with several other of Navalny’s allies after authorities launched a criminal probe into the leader’s Anti-Corruption Foundation.

Volkov was declared wanted by Russian authorities in 2021 over his role in drumming up mass protests against the Kremlin together with Navalny.