Russia’s Leonid Volkov. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s long-time aide Leonid Volkov was assaulted with a hammer in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on March 12, former Navalny spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said.

“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,” she wrote on social media website X.

She posted images showing Mr. Volkov with a bruise on his forehead, blood coming from a leg wound, and a vehicle with damage to the driver’s door and window.

Lithuanian police said they had been informed a man was beaten outside his home, and were investigating.

A large part of Navalny’s political vehicle, the Anti-Corruption Foundation, which includes Mr. Volkov, are residing in European Union and NATO member Lithuania after fleeing Russia.

Warsaw:

Leonid Volkov, a close ally of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was attacked outside his home in Lithuania on Tuesday, independent Russian media outlets and Navalny’s spokeswoman said.

“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.

Navalny’s allies shared photos showing Volkov’s injuries, including a black eye, a red mark on his forehead and bleeding on his leg, which had soaked through his jeans.

Yarmysh said that Volkov was now at home and emergency services were on their way.

She did not say where Volkov lived, but Russia’s independent Mediazona news outlet said he was currently in Lithuania.

Volkov was a close ally of Navalny, working as the late leader’s ex-chief of staff and as chair of his Anti-Corruption Foundation until 2023.

The attack comes almost a month after Navalny’s death in an Arctic prison, which Volkov blamed directly on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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