Leonid Volkov Attacked in Lithuania: Latest News and Updates on Russian Dissident’s Assault

2024-03-13 06:22:30
Leonid Volkov was attacked in Lithuania, where he is exiled due to persecution by the Russian regime

Leonid Volkov, an exiled Russian opponent and ally of the deceased dissident Alexei Navalny, suffered a violent attack this Tuesday in front of his home in the capital of Lithuania, where he had gone into exile five years ago.

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Volkov, 43, is one of the most prominent figures in the Russian opposition as Navalny’s former chief of staff and president until 2023 of the anti-corruption foundation founded by President Vladimir Putin’s main opponent.

Almost a month following Navalny’s death in a prison in the Arctic, where he was serving a 19-year prison sentence, his lieutenant suffered an attack in Vilnius for which he had to go to the hospital.

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The dissident claimed that a man hit him “regarding 15 times” with a blunt object and that he had suffered a broken arm.

“They wanted to transform me into a Milanese,” the opponent posted on Telegram, celebrating being still “alive.”

Volkov was hit with a hammer

Navalny’s former spokesperson, Kira Yarmish, said Volkov had been attacked in the car “in front of his house.”

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“Someone broke a car window and sprayed tear gas in his eyes, following which the attacker began to hit Leonid with a hammer,” he wrote on the social network X.

“Many police officers are working at the scene,” Matonis said, adding that the suspects were not identified and more details regarding the assault were expected Wednesday morning.

In images published on the social network

Volkov was finally able to return home. “We are in home. Leonid’s arm is broken and he still can’t walk,” his wife Biriukova posted.

Volkov was attacked in front of his house in Vilnius, capital of Lithuania (REUTERS/Andrius Sytas)

The opponent assured this Wednesday that the assault was “typical” of the modus operandi of President Vladimir Putin’s men, and warned that this aggression will not intimidate him.

“We are going to work and we will not give up,” he said on Telegram.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that the news of the attack “is shocking” and assured that its “perpetrators will have to answer for their crime.”

After Navalny’s death, tens of thousands of Russians paid tribute to him despite the risk of arrest. Even in death, the Russian opponent continues his challenge to the Kremlin through his numerous followers who crack the official narrative.

Crowds have been flocking to the southeastern Moscow cemetery to leave flowers, candles or written messages at the grave of the opponent, who died in dark circumstances on February 16 in a prison in the Arctic and was buried last week.

Leonid Volkov, chief of staff of the presidential campaign of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny in 2018 (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

These displays of affection towards Vladimir Putin’s main detractor call into question the Kremlin’s official discourse as an overwhelming majority of Russians support the president’s re-election in the March 17 elections.

The funeral of the lawyer, who died at the age of 47, gave rise to impressive opposition marches, with some participants shouting “Putin is a murderer”, “No to war” or “Ukrainians are good people”.

Thousands of Russians paid tribute to Navalny, despite the possibility of being detained by Russian authorities (REUTERS/Stringer)

Even the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, revealed that Russia tried to assassinate him on more than ten occasions. “They say more than ten, but officials, special services, Intelligence say so. To be honest, I don’t pay attention to these numbers. In Ukraine, all our people, the military, who are on the front, risk their lives every day,” he said during an interview for Italian television.

“Civilians, who suffer attacks like in Odessa, are also at risk. I am the president of my country so I also take risks and it is clear why. He should be in the same conditions as any Ukrainian,” he added.

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