‘A gangster-style greeting from Putin’

Lithuanian anti-terrorism unit launches investigation after hammer attack leaves Navalny ally Leonid Volkov with broken arm

Content warning: This story features bloody images and descriptions.

Leonid Volkov, the former chief of staff of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, suffered a broken arm after being attacked outside of his home in Vilnius on Tuesday.

“They wanted to make a steak out of me,” he said in a video message, explaining that his attacker hit him about 15 times in the leg with a meat tenderizer. “It hurts to walk, but they say it’s not broken, though they did break my arm.”

Volkov was hospitalized after the assault but was able to return home within a few hours. His comments suggest there was only one attacker.

The longtime Navalny ally called the incident an “an obvious, characteristic, typical, gangster-style greeting from Putin.” “Hi to you too, Mr. Putin,” he added, before calling on Russians to take part in the “Noon Against Putin” protest in Russia’s presidential elections this weekend. Ivan Zhdanov, the current head of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, said the attack was likely intended to leave Volkov with serious injuries.

Navalny’s press secretary Kira Yarmysh told journalists from Agentstvo that there may have been two attackers. “Leonid managed to notice one; his wife thinks she saw two people from the window at the last minute,” she said.

According to Volkov’s wife, Anna Biryukova, Volkov is currently unable to walk. “Having to choose between running to your husband as he’s being attacked and not leaving your sleeping children alone is a horrific experience that I wouldn’t wish on anyone,” she said on X.

The Lithuanian Police Force’s anti-terrorism unit is investigating the attack. Deputy Police Commissioner Saulius Tamulevičius told the radio station LRT that the authorities are considering several possible explanations.

“A pre-trial investigation has been launched, and we’re doing everything we can do to determine the motives and the causes of the crime. Several theories have already been put forward, and when everything becomes clear, we’ll be able to provide more information,” Tamulevičius said. He added that the assailant has not been found.

Lithuanian police reported earlier that the attack occurred at 10:06 p.m. local time outside of Volkov’s home in the outskirts of Vilnius.

U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Kara McDonald commented on the attack on X:

On Tuesday night, Lithuanian Foreign Ministry Gabrielius Landsbergis called the attack “shocking.”

Several hours before he was assaulted, Leonid Volkov spoke to Meduza about the threats facing Navalny’s associates in the wake of the opposition figure’s death. “The key risk right now is that they’ll kill us all,” he said. “But that’s pretty obvious.”