Leonid Volkov, a close ally of Alexei Navalny, a critic of the late Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, was injured in an attack outside his home in Lithuania on Tuesday, March 12 (22) and was admitted to a hospital.
The local police told AFP that 43-year-old Volkov is one of the most prominent figures opposed to the Russian government and one of Navalny’s trusted colleagues.
Before that, he served as the director of the Navalny Office, and until 2023, he was in charge of the directorate of the Anti-Corruption Foundation.
Kira Yarmish, the spokesperson of Navalny, wrote on the social media X: “The person broke the glass and sprayed tear gas in his eyes. After that, the person attacked Levand with a knife.”
Colleagues have shared unflattering photos depicting Volkoff’s surgeries.
Then the colleagues shared new photos in which Volkoff could be seen being transported to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Ramonas Matonis, the spokesperson of the Lithuanian police, confirmed to AFP that a Russian citizen was attacked near his home in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, at 10:00 p.m. According to Matonis, a large number of police officers were deployed in the area.
He said that the identity of the suspected attacker has not yet been determined and the details of the attack are expected to be released on Wednesday morning.
Police in Lithuania have also confirmed that Volkov has been hospitalized.
This attack took place one month after Alexei Navalny was imprisoned in one of the Russian North Pole prisons. Supporters of Navalny and some Western countries, especially the United States, have held President Putin responsible for his death.
This attack took place just a few days before the Russian elections, which are expected to extend Putin’s power in the Kremlin.
Gabrielius Landsbergis, the foreign minister of Lithuania, condemned the attack through social media.
Landsbergis wrote on page X: “The news of the attack on Leonid is shocking.”
Lithuania, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), hosts many Russian refugees. After the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, this teenager was one of the staunch supporters of Kiev.