He was attacked with a hammer in front of his home.
The attack suffered on Tuesday in Vilnius by Leonid Volkov, the former right-hand man of the Russian opponent who died in prison Alexeï Navalny, was probably "organized and implemented by Russia", estimated Wednesday the services of Lithuanian intelligence in an official statement.
The 43-year-old opponent had to be briefly hospitalized.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, for his part, explained to the Lithuanian press in Paris that the competent services would “investigate and, I hope, find the culprits.
As for Putin, I can only say one thing: no one is afraid of you here.
» Gitanas Nauseda, who met his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron the day before, participated in a strategic forum in the French capital on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry Gabrielius Landsbergis condemned a “shocking” attack and assured, in a message on his X account, that its perpetrators will have to “answer for their crimes”.
News about Leonid's assault are shocking.
Relevant authorities are at work.
Perpetrators will have to answer for their crime.
— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) March 12, 2024
The Lithuanian police, for their part, confirmed that they had opened an investigation into the attack on Leonid Volkov.
Deputy police chief Saulius Tamulevicius said investigators were looking into different leads, without giving further details.
“We are taking all necessary measures to elucidate the motive and causes of this crime.
Several avenues are being studied,” he told LRT radio.
No suspect has yet been identified.
A “typical” aggression from Putin’s men
This attack comes almost a month after the death of Alexeï Navalny, in a penal colony in the Arctic where he was serving a 19-year prison sentence for “extremism”.
Leonid Volkov, a leading Russian opposition figure and former president of the anti-corruption foundation founded by Navalny, blamed President Vladimir Putin for his death.
His attack also occurred a few days before the presidential election which should extend the mandate of the head of the Kremlin.
Leonid Volkov claimed on Telegram that he was hit in the leg 15 times during the attack on Tuesday evening.
His wife, Anna Biryukova, posted photos on social media showing her husband's injuries, including a black eye, a red mark on his forehead and blood on his leg.
“Someone broke a car window and sprayed tear gas in his eyes” before inflicting blows on him with a hammer, Kira Iarmich, the former spokesperson for 'Alexei Navalny.
Also read: “Other people are ready to replace me if they kill me,” warned Alexeï Navalny before his death
A government source told AFP that Volkov was released early Wednesday from the hospital where "bruises were noted on various parts of his body as well as a fracture of a bone in his hand."
“More serious injuries were avoided,” said this source.
Volkov ruled on Wednesday that the attack he suffered was "typical" of the modus operandi of Russian President Vladimir Putin's henchmen, but that it would not dissuade him from continuing to campaign for democracy.