Leonid Volkov, former right-hand man of Alexei Navalny, was attacked outside his home in Lithuania

The former chief of staff of the Russian opponent notably suffered a broken arm after a hammer attack.

“They literally wanted to turn me into schnitzel.” In a one-minute video posted on his Telegram account, Leonid Volkov recounts the attack he suffered on Tuesday, March 12, in the evening, outside his home in Vilnius (Lithuania). While congratulating ourselves on still being “envy”, Lformer right-hand man of Alexeï Navalny explains having been attacked by a man who hit him “about fifteen times” with a blunt object and notably suffered a broken arm.

No suspects have been identified at this stage. “He is likely that the attack” against Leonid Volkov “either an operation organized and implemented by Russia”, Lithuanian intelligence services announced on Wednesday. Previously, itthis attack had been qualified as “shocking” by the Lithuanian government. On the social networkForeign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis assures that the authors will have to “answer for their crimes”.

“We will not give up”

Alexeï Navalny’s former spokesperson explained that Leonid Volkov had been the subject of a real ambush. He was “attacked outside his house. Someone broke a car window and sprayed tear gas in his eyes before starting to hit Leonid with a hammer”commented Kira Iarmich.

Taken to the emergency room, Leonid Volkov was finally able to return home. “We are at home. Leonid’s arm is broken and he can’t walk yet”, wrote his wife Anna Biryukova. Photos showing the opponent’s injuries were posted on social media, including a black eye, a red mark on his forehead and blood on one of his legs.

Aged 43, Leonid Volkov is one of the main figures of the Russian opposition. He went into exile in 2019 like other allies of Alexeï Navalny after the Russian authorities opened a criminal investigation targeting the opponent’s anti-corruption foundation. “We will not give up”he assured in his video, judging that the attack of which he was the victim was “typical” of the modus operandi of Vladimir Putin’s henchmen.