Attack on Navalny's former chief of staff ignites concern in Vilnius

"Leonid Volkov was just attacked outside his home. A window in his car was smashed, tear gas was sprayed into his eyes, and then the attacker began beating Leonid with a hammer. Leonid is now at home, with the police and an ambulance en route," Yarmysh posted on the X service.

Independent Russian media have reported that the opposition figure resides in Vilnius.

At the end of February, Volkov urged public protest during the elections in Russia, stating it represented "the explicit political will of Alexei Navalny."

On February 16, Russian officials declared the unexpected death of Navalny, Putin's most prominent political rival. Navalny died under mysterious conditions at a prison camp in the Arctic Circle, serving a 19-year sentence, potentially extendable up to 30 years.

The politician's funeral was held in Moscow on March 1, drawing thousands of mourners.

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, found herself at the centre of a disinformation campaign on social media. The attacks on her escalated after Navalnaya declared her intention to proceed with her late husband's political activities - reported the Euronews portal, citing AFP research.

Source: PAP