'We will not give up,' says Navalny ally Leonid Volkov after attack
Leonid Volkov, a close ally of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said the attack that left him with a broken arm was a "characteristic bandit hello" from Russian President Vladimir Putin's henchmen.
Chief of Staff of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Leonid Volkov speaks during an interview at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France on 14 December 2021. Picture: AFP
VILNIUS - Leonid Volkov, a close ally of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, posted a message on Telegram early Wednesday vowing to continue his struggle against President Vladimir Putin after he was attacked outside his home in Lithuania.
"We will work and we will not give up," he said in a video clip, adding that the attack that left him with a broken arm was a "characteristic bandit hello" from Putin's henchmen.
Volkov, 43, was briefly hospitalised after the assault on Tuesday, which sparked an uproar from the Lithuanian government.
"The man attacked me in the yard, hit me on the leg about 15 times. The leg somehow is OK. It hurts to walk... However, I broke my arm," Volkov said Wednesday in his Telegram post.
"They literally wanted to make a schnitzel out of me."
Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh earlier said that "someone broke a car window and sprayed tear gas in his eyes" before hitting him with a hammer.
Volkov's wife, Anna Biryukova, earlier shared photos of her husband's 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 spokesperson Ramunas Matonis confirmed to AFP that a Russian citizen was assaulted near his home in the capital Vilnius around 10 pm local time (2000 GMT).
The suspects have not been identified and more details about the assault are expected on Wednesday morning, he said.
'SHOCKING' ATTACK
The attack comes almost a month after Navalny died 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 in a social media post.
"News about Leonid's assault are shocking. Relevant authorities are at work. Perpetrators will have to answer for their crime," he said on social media platform X.
NATO member Lithuania is home to many Russian exiles and has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine throughout Russia's invasion.
Russian dissidents who have spoken out against the Kremlin often complain of being targeted with threats and attacks.
Volkov told independent Russian news outlet Meduza hours before he was beaten on Tuesday that he was worried for his safety after Navalny's death.
"The key risk now is that we will all be killed. Why, it's a pretty obvious thing," the outlet quoted him as saying.
Volkov went into exile in 2019 along with several other Navalny allies after authorities launched a criminal probe into the leader's Anti-Corruption Foundation.
Volkov was declared wanted by Russian authorities in 2021 over his role in drumming up mass protests against the Kremlin together with Navalny.