Navalny ally Leonid Volkov attacked outside home in Lithuania

MOSCOW

Leonid Volkov, a close ally of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was assaulted outside his home in Vilnius on Tuesday, an incident that sparked an uproar from the Lithuanian government.

Volkov vowed to continue his struggle against President Vladimir Putin in a video posted on Telegram early Wednesday after he was discharged from hospital.

"We will work and we will not give up," he said, adding that the attack, which left him with a broken arm, was a "characteristic bandit hello" from Putin's henchmen.

Volkov, 43, is one of Russia's most prominent opposition figures and was a close confidant of Navalny, working as the late leader's ex-chief of staff and as chair of his Anti-Corruption Foundation until 2023.

In his post on Wednesday, Volkov said he was struck 15 times on the leg during the attack.

"The leg somehow is OK, it hurts to walk... However, I broke my arm," Volkov said Wednesday.

"They literally wanted to make a schnitzel out of me," he added.

Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh earlier said that "someone broke a car window and sprayed tear gas in his eyes" before hitting him with a hammer.

Volkov's wife, Anna Biryukova, earlier shared photos of her husband's injuries on social media, including a black eye, a red mark on his forehead and blood on his leg, which had soaked through his jeans.

Lithuanian police spokesperson Ramunas Matonis confirmed to AFP that a Russian citizen was assaulted near his home in the capital Vilnius around 10 pm local time (2000 GMT).

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

 'Shocking' attack 

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."

Lithuanian 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 social media platform 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 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 Navalny 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.