Three arrested over attack on Navalny ally Leonid Volkov
Three individuals have been apprehended in connection with an assault on a senior associate of the late Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.
In March, Leonid Volkov reported sustaining a broken arm outside his residence in Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania.
The Prime Minister of Poland asserted that the individual purportedly orchestrating the attack was “a Belarusian collaborating with Russian entities”.
Two Polish nationals affiliated with football enthusiast groups stand accused of executing the assault.
Initially, Lithuanian intelligence indicated that the assault was likely “coordinated by Russian elements”.
During a press briefing on Friday, Lithuania’s President, Gitanas Nauseda, confirmed the arrests and extended gratitude to Polish authorities.
He conveyed appreciation to President Andrzej Duda and, via a message on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, cautioned the perpetrators of the crime against any future attempts.
According to the Lithuanian prosecutor’s office, two Polish citizens were detained in Warsaw on April 3rd and are currently held in custody in the capital city.
Authorities stated that the attack was motivated by Mr. Volkov’s convictions and his involvement in political affairs.
Mr. Volkov, aged 43, served as Navalny’s chief aide and has resided outside of Russia for several years due to concerns for his safety.
Polish law enforcement indicated that the detained individuals were sought under a European Arrest Warrant and are detained at the Warsaw-Praga district prosecutor’s office.
Meanwhile, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a Polish man was arrested and charged separately for planning to co-operate with Russian intelligence services, to aid an attempted assassination of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“There will be no leniency for collaborators of the Russian services,” Mr Tusk said. “We will burn down every betrayal and attempt at destabilization.”
Giving his reaction to the arrests, Mr Volkov said: “I don’t know any other details yet, but I can say I have seen how energetically and persistently the Lithuanian police have worked over the past month on this case, and I am very glad that this work has been effective.”
Back in March, the activist said the attack was “an obvious, typical, gangster greeting from Putin, from bandit St Petersburg” – but gave no more details.
“Everything happened in silence… of course this is a clear political attack, there is no doubt here,” he added.
Kremlin officials declined to comment on the arrests during a news conference on Friday.
Mr Volkov was briefly hospitalised after the attack, which took place as he arrived at his Vilnius home by car on 12 March.
Pictures were posted on social media at the time, by another member of the Navalny team, showing Mr Volkov with bruising to his head and a bloodied leg. He said he had been pepper sprayed and hit with a hammer multiple times.
Russia’s late opposition leader Alexei Navalny died suddenly in prison in the Russian Arctic in February.
This week, his widow Yulia Navalnaya said Mr Volkov’s attack had prompted her to hire a bodyguard.
Speaking to Time magazine, she said: “Some people were waiting for him with a hammer and a can of pepper spray. His wife was in the house with their little kids.”
In the article, Ms Navalnaya said neither she nor her late husband used to have security and that she had inherited his “courage”.
