Hammer attack on Navalny ally likely a warning to Russian opposition, Lithuania says
POLITICOMar 13
Navalny Ally Leonid Volkov Attacked in Lithuania
Image copyright: Oleg Nikishin/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Leonid Volkov, the former chief of staff of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was physically assaulted outside his home in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on Tuesday.
According to his associates, Volkov was taken to a hospital after someone broke a window of his car, sprayed tear gas into his eyes, and allegedly hit him with a hammer.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
That Volkov was attacked as Russia prepares for a rigged presidential election that will certainly grant Putin a renewed term in office is no surprise, particularly given that the Kremlin spares no efforts to crack down on the opposition. While this operation in Lithuania was designed to serve as a warning to dissidents at home, it further reasserts that Russia is at war with the West.
Pro-Russia narrative
It's no coincidence that the West insists on pointing fingers at the Kremlin — and Putin personally — over anything that happens to people in the opposition camp, as its propaganda machine is now at full tilt to try to divert focus from defeats in Ukraine and the genocide in Gaza. If Western countries did live up to what they preached, Julian Assange, for example, wouldn't be subject to torture for exposing the US' ruthless killings.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that Vladimir Putin will cease to hold the office of President of Russia by March 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
