Navalny’s former chief of staff Leonid Volkov attacked with hammer in Lithuania

Russian opposition activist Leonid Volkov, former chief of staff of the late Alexey Navalny, was assaulted outside his home in Vilnius, Lithuania, according to Navalny’s spokesperson Kira Yarmysh.

Yarmysh reported on social media that Volkov was attacked with tear gas and a hammer, sustaining injuries to his legs and arms. Images shared by Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation director Ivan Zhdanov show Volkov with a swollen face and a bloodied leg, beside shattered glass and blood near a car.

Volkov has been hospitalized following the attack.

Lithuanian authorities are investigating the incident, with Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis condemning the attack as "shocking" and affirming that the perpetrators will be held accountable.

The assault occurred just days before Russia's presidential election, widely perceived as a formality ensuring Vladimir Putin's fifth term in office. Volkov, formerly chairman of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, criticized the elections in February, dismissing them as a "circus" orchestrated to bolster Putin's image of mass support.

Navalny, a prominent critic of Putin, passed away last month in a Russian prison under disputed circumstances, sparking global condemnation and accusations of foul play from his supporters. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in his death.