Alexei Navalny ally Leonid Volkov attacked with hammer outside his home
A long-time ally of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been attacked with a hammer near his home in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
Lithuanian police are investigating the assault on 43-year-old Leonid Volkov as it remains unclear who carried it out – and their motive.
A pine forest near Mr Volkov’s house was cordoned off by police, and officers with dogs and flashlights were seen searching the area on Tuesday night.
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The road outside Mr Volkov’s house in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. Pic: Reuters
Mr Navalny’s spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said the attacker smashed a window of Mr Volkov’s car, sprayed tear gas into his eyes and started hitting him with a hammer.
She posted an image on social media platform X showing Mr Volkov on an ambulance stretcher.
Ivan Zhdanov, another prominent ally of Mr Navalny, posted images on his Telegram account showing Mr Volkov with a bruise on his forehead, blood coming from a leg wound, and a vehicle with damage to the driver’s door and window.
Mr Volkov’s wife said he had returned home from hospital with a broken arm and was unable to walk.
“The choice between running to your husband who was attacked or not leaving your sleeping children alone is disgusting. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” she wrote on X.
“We will all work even harder. And even angrier.”
‘We will all be killed’
Mr Volkov used to be in charge of Mr Navalny’s regional offices and election campaigns – Mr Navalny ran for mayor of Moscow in 2013 and sought to challenge Russian President Vladimir Putin in the 2018 presidential election.
He left Russia several years ago under pressure from the authorities.
He and his team launched a project last year called Navalny’s Campaigning Machine with the goal of talking to as many Russians as possible, either by phone or online, and turning them against Mr Putin ahead of the 15-17 March presidential election.
Russian independent news outlet Meduza said it interviewed Mr Volkov several hours before the attack and asked him about the risks Mr Navalny’s aides faced.
“The key risk is that we will all be killed,” it quoted Mr Volkov as saying.
Mr Volkov left Russia several years ago. Pic: Reuters
Lithuania’s foreign affairs minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who also leads Homeland Union, the ruling party, described the assault as “shocking”.
“Perpetrators will have to answer for their crime,” he wrote on X.
A large part of Mr Navalny’s political group, the Anti-Corruption Foundation, which includes Mr Volkov, are residing in European Union and NATO member Lithuania after fleeing Russia.
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Navalny: ‘Those who resist face the consequences’
Mr Navalny, 47, was a high-profile and vocal critic of President Putin and had been serving a 19-year prison term when he died in an Arctic penal colony last month.
The 47-year-old had been behind bars since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow after recovering in Germany from nerve agent poisoning, which he blamed on the Kremlin.
Western leaders have made clear they hold the Russian regime ultimately responsible for his death.
Mr Putin gives an interview to Russia’s state RIA news agency and Rossiya-1 television in Moscow, Russia. Pic: Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via Reauters
Putin says Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons
The attack on Mr Volkov comes as Mr Putin said he was ready to use nuclear weapons if there was a threat to his country’s statehood, sovereignty or independence.
In an interview with Russian state television released on Wednesday, he said he hoped the US would avoid any escalation that could trigger a nuclear war, but emphasised Russia’s nuclear forces are ready for it.
Asked if he has considered using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, the Russian leader said there had been no need.
He also asserted Moscow would achieve its goals in Ukraine and held the door open for talks, stressing any deal would require firm guarantees from the West.
Storm Shadow cruise missiles made in the UK and donated to Ukraine have once again been used to strike targets inside Russia.
The long-range weapons – which cost roughly £2m each – have been used to devastating effect in the Black Sea, sinking or damaging several Russian ships, and now against a chemical plant.
Last year, Ukraine’s allies lifted restrictions on Storm Shadows and other long-range missiles, meaning Kyiv’s military can use them against targets across the border.
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A Storm Shadow missile system. Pic: Gary Dawson/Shutterstock
What are Storm Shadow missiles?
Storm Shadows are cruise missiles developed by the UK and France in the 1990s.
Launched from aircraft, they have a range more than 155 miles, manufacturer MBDA says, and can travel at speeds exceeding 600mph.
The missiles can be used with high precision for deep strikes while evading detection, the manufacturer says.
They have been used by the RAF and French air force and in the Gulf, Iraq and Libya, and more recently have been used by Ukrainian forces.
What sets them apart from some other projectiles is they use terrain mapping to navigate to their target, rather than relying just on GPS, military analyst Sean Bell says.
A Tornado GR4 with Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Pic: Crown copyright
How have they been used in Ukraine?
Back in May 2023, the UK government announced it would provide Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles – the first country to do so.
Since then they have been used by Kyiv’s defenders to strike Russian targets inside Ukraine and also inside Russia.
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While operational details of their use do not always emerge, it has been reported Storm Shadows have been used against targets including military headquarters and ships.
Storm Shadows can likely be operated entirely from within Ukraine, though probably with the assistance of intelligence gathered by Western surveillance planes over international waters.
A police officer has been injured after a night of violent protests outside an asylum hotel in Dublin – with six arrests made.
Bricks were thrown and fireworks were discharged outside the Citywest Hotel – with glass bottles used as missiles and a police van set on fire.
A Garda helicopter was also targeted with lasers, and the police service says some of those on the streets were seen carrying garden forks.
Pic: PA
Pic: PA
Commissioner Justin Kelly added: “This was obviously not a peaceful protest. The actions this evening can only be described as thuggery. This was a mob intent on violence.
“We will now begin the process of identifying those who committed crimes and we will bring those involved in this violence to justice.”
It is the second night of demonstrations after an alleged sexual assault in its vicinity in the early hours of Monday morning.
Some of the crowd threw stones and other missiles at the public order officers as they moved the protesters back – and water cannon was deployed at the scene.
A line of officers was preventing the protesters from approaching the hotel.
Police officers block protesters outside the hotel. Pic: PA
‘Those involved will be brought to justice’
Ireland’s premier, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, paid tribute to the officers who were on the frontline of the protests.
“There can be no justification for the vile abuse against them, or the attempted assaults and attacks on members of the force that will shock all right-thinking people,” he said.
Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said those involved in the violence will be brought to justice.
“The scenes of public disorder we have witnessed at Citywest must be condemned,” he said.
“People threw missiles at Gardai, threw fireworks at them and set a Garda vehicle on fire.
“This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the Gardai.
“Those involved will be brought to justice.”
‘No excuse’ for violence
The minister said a man had been arrested and had appeared in court in relation to the alleged assault in the vicinity of the hotel.
He added: “While I am not in a position to comment any further on this criminal investigation, I have been advised that there is no ongoing threat to public safety in the area.”
He said attacks on officers would “not be tolerated”, adding: “Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Violence is not.
“There is no excuse for the scenes we have witnessed.”
The demonstration on Monday night passed without a significant incident.
It comes two years after anti-immigrant demonstrators triggered a major riot in the centre of Dublin after three young children were stabbed.
A police van has been set on fire and missiles have been thrown at officers as protesters gathered outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Dublin.
It is the second night of demonstrations outside the Citywest Hotel after an alleged sexual assault in its vicinity in the early hours of Monday morning.
A large crowd has gathered in the area and members of the Garda’s public order unit have been deployed.
Footage from the scene showed a Garda vehicle on fire as well as several protesters displaying Irish flags.
Many protesters carried Republic of Ireland flags
Some of the crowd threw stones and other missiles at the public order officers as they moved the protesters back.
A Garda helicopter hovered overhead and a water cannon was deployed on the scene.
Ireland’s justice minister, Jim O’Callaghan, said those involved will be brought to justice.
“The scenes of public disorder we have witnessed at Citywest tonight must be condemned,” he said.
“People threw missiles at Gardai, threw fireworks at them and set a Garda vehicle on fire.
“This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the Gardai.
“Those involved will be brought to justice.”
The minister said a man had been arrested and had appeared in court in relation to the alleged assault in the vicinity of the hotel.
He added: “While I am not in a position to comment any further on this criminal investigation, I have been advised that there is no ongoing threat to public safety in the area.
He said attacks on gardai will “not be tolerated”, adding: “Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Violence is not.
“There is no excuse for the scenes we have witnessed tonight.”
It was the second night of protest outside the hotel, which is being used as state accommodation for people seeking international protection. The demonstration on Monday night passed without a significant incident.
It comes two years after anti-immigrant demonstrators triggered a major riot in the centre of Dublin after three young children were stabbed.
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