Ahead of the presidential election in Russia, Leonid Volkov, a Russian dissident and close confidante of Navalny, was attacked with a hammer.

Petras Malukus / AFP

On March 12, 2024, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, was attacked with a hammer. (Here in Vilnius on March 2, 2021.)

International – 48 hours before the start of the Russian presidential election, pressure is mounting on the opposition. Leonid Volkov, former hand of Alexei Navalny, who died in prison in February, was violently attacked with a hammer in front of his home in Vilnius this Tuesday, March 12 evening. This attack is described as “ Shocking » by the Lithuanian Government.

Leonid Volkov was “ Attacked outside his house. Someone broke the car window and sprayed tear gas in Leonid’s eyes before starting to beat him with a hammer.”Navalny’s former spokeswoman Kira Irmich suggested.

Broken arm, black eye

Taken to the emergency room, the 43-year-old competitor was eventually able to return home but was injured, his wife said on the social network on Wednesday. we are at home Leonid’s arm is broken and he still can’t walk.”Anna Biryukova wrote.

She published photos showing injuries sustained by her opponent, including a black eye, a red mark on her forehead and blood on one of her legs.

Lithuanian police spokesman Ramunas Matonis confirmed to AFP that a Russian citizen was attacked near his home in the capital Vilnius at 10pm local time, or 9pm in Paris.

No suspects have been identified yet

No suspects have been identified at this stage and more details about the attack will be released on Wednesday morning, the spokesman said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis condemned the attack. Shocking » And assured in a message Answer for their crimes ».

Hours before his attack on Tuesday, Leonid Volkov told the independent Russian-speaking media Meduza that the death of Alexei Navalny worried him for his safety. “The main danger now is that we will all be killed. Why, it’s a very obvious thing”He said according to Meduza.

Wanted after protests against Russian power

“Putin killed Navalny. And many others before him”., he also wrote on social networks on Monday, the former chief of staff of the opposition. He also chaired the anti-corruption foundation established by Navalny until 2023.

Leonid Volkov went into exile in 2019, like other allies of Alexei Navalny, after Russian authorities launched a criminal investigation targeting the opposition’s anti-corruption foundation. The multiple trials brought against Navalny were widely condemned as a way to punish the Russian president for his opposition.

Since 2021, Moscow has been searching for Leonid Volkov, jointly with Navalny, for his role in organizing protests against Russian power.

After the death of Vladimir Putin’s number one rival, Leonid Volkov promised that the Russian rival’s team “ won’t leave » because “ Good always triumphs over evil”. He called Alexei Navalny’s supporters “ don’t despair”. “ This is what he expects from us now. He must win what he has devoted his life to. »

The attack comes just days before Russia’s presidential election, scheduled for Friday through Sunday, marks a new victory for Vladimir Putin due to a lack of real opponents.

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