The chief of staff to Aleksei A. Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died last month in an Arctic penal colony, was brutally attacked outside his home in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, late Tuesday night. Leonid Volkov, a top organizer for Mr. Navalny, was ambushed by at least one assailant who smashed his car window, sprayed tear gas, and beat him with a hammer.
Despite the vicious attack, Mr. Volkov survived and was taken to the hospital for treatment. Photographs shared online showed him conscious but injured, with blood streaming from one leg and a mark on his head. The incident occurred nearly a month after Mr. Navalny’s controversial death in prison, which has been attributed to President Vladimir V. Putin by Mr. Navalny’s wife and aides.
The identity of the attacker or attackers remains unknown, raising concerns about the safety of those involved in Mr. Navalny’s work from abroad. Christo Grozev, a journalist who exposed the Russian intelligence unit behind a 2020 poisoning of Mr. Navalny, issued a warning after the attack on Mr. Volkov, urging activists and journalists to be cautious in the face of potential threats.
The Lithuanian police confirmed the assault on a Russian citizen in Vilnius and vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable. Mr. Volkov, who fled to Lithuania in 2019 due to Russian authorities’ crackdown on Mr. Navalny’s organization, had been leading a campaign called “Noon Against Putin,” encouraging Russians to gather at polling stations to oppose the president peacefully.
The attack on Mr. Volkov underscores the dangers faced by those advocating for political change in Russia and raises questions about the ongoing safety of Mr. Navalny’s associates. As investigations into the assault continue, the international community remains vigilant in monitoring the situation and ensuring justice for the victims.
