- Written by Sarah Rainsford
- Eastern Europe correspondent
A longtime ally of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was attacked in front of his home in Lithuania.
Leonid Volkov said his arm was broken and his leg was hit 15 times with a hammer.
The alleged attackers are unknown, but Volkov said they were politically motivated.
He said it was “an obvious and typical gangster greeting from Putin, from St. Petersburg,” but gave no further details about the attacker.
Police have opened an investigation into the attack, which occurred when the activist arrived by car at his home in Vilnius.
“Several theories have been put forward and once they are clarified, we will be able to provide more information,” Deputy Police Commissioner Saulius Tamlevicius told LRT radio.
Ivan Zhdanov, another member of Navalny's team, posted a photo on social media of Volkov with blood on his lower left leg and bruises on his head.
Asked whether the attackers shouted anything, Zhdanov said: “Everything happened in silence… Of course, this was a clear political attack, there is no doubt here.”
Volkov's wife, who is also part of Navalny's team, said her husband had returned home from the hospital with a broken arm, adding that he was unable to walk because he had been hit in the leg with a hammer.
“We will all work harder. And with even more anger,” Anna Biryukova posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Navalny was convicted of politically motivated crimes and was serving a 19-year sentence.
Volkov also faces a variety of politically motivated charges in Russia.
Until last year, he was chairman of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, but resigned after it was revealed that he had signed a letter asking the EU to lift some sanctions against Russia.
“The perpetrators will have to take responsibility for their crimes,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said.
In a video posted on social media upon his return home, Volkov complained that his attacker used a meat hammer and “literally tried to turn me into a schnitzel.”
He vowed that the attack would not stop his political work and called on Russia to take part in peaceful protests on Sunday, the last day of voting in Russia's presidential election, in which no real opposition candidates are allowed to run. appealed to voters.
He called on Russians to head to the polls at the same time in preparation for what his supporters called a “midday no-Putin no-no.” “We have to do something, don't we?” he concluded.
Despite living outside Russia, Volkov has worked hard to ensure that Navalny and his team continue their work.
This includes YouTube videos and livestreams during anti-corruption investigations, protests and major events in Russia.
More activists moved to join Volkov abroad in 2021, after Navalny's entire political organization was labeled “extremist” and banned in Russia.
Several members of Mr. Navalny's former team and some of his lawyers are currently in prison.