Leonid Volkov, a longtime friend of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was attacked by a hammer in front of his house in Lithuania, BBC reported.

The offender injured Volkov with a hammer and used tear gas when Volkov was in his car in Vilnius on Tuesday night.

Navlyn’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, confirmed the attack, describing that the Lithuanian police are investigating the attack.

Volkov was until recently Navalnhy’s chief-of-staff until his sudden death in a Russian prison a month ago. The strike caused multiple cuts on his lower left leg, bruising on his head, and other injuries, and now he is at the hospital to undergo treatment.

The attack on Volkov not only raises worries about the well-being of Navalny’s supporters but also poses a danger to other opposition figures in the existing political situation in Russia. 

A great deal of activists, including Volkov, also emigrated in 2021 when Navalny’s entire political organisation was proclaimed as “extremist” and subsequently banned in Russia. 

As the presidential elections approach, Yulia Navalnaya – the widow of Alexei Navalny – has urged for a peaceful political protest at the polling stations throughout Russia, a concept that used to be supported by Alexei himself in the past.

The attack on Volkov that occurred recently, remains a mystery adding to the uncertainty associated with the safety of the members of the opposition movement linked to Navalny. The case is a reminder that there is nothing simple for activists in Russia and the personal risks involved in criticising the authorities.