Navalny ally beaten with hammer in Lithuania

Leonid Volkov treated for a broken arm as government condemns ‘shocking’ attack

Leonid Volkov, a close ally of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was assaulted outside his home in Vilnius, 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 yesterday 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 chief of staff and as chair of his Anti-Corruption Foundation until 2023.

Volkov said he was struck 15 times on the leg in the attack.

“The leg somehow is OK, it hurts to walk. However, I broke my arm,” he said. “They literally wanted to make a schnitzel out of me.”

Relevant authorities are at work. Perpetrators will have to answer for their crime GABRIELIUS LANDSBERGIS LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

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

Volkov’s wife, Anna Biryukova, shared photos of his 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 spokesman Ramunas Matonis confirmed that a Russian citizen was assaulted near his home in the capital Vilnius at about 10pm local time. The suspects have not been identified and more details about the assault were expected, he said.

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