Lithuania blamed Russia, this Wednesday (13), for the night attack by an attacker armed with a hammer on one of the main allies of the late Russian opponent, Alexei Navalny, outside his home in Vilnius.
President Gitanas Nauseda said the attack on Navalny's ally Leonid Volkov was clearly pre-planned and linked to other provocations against Lithuania.
“I can only say one thing to the [presidente russo Vladimir] Putin: no one is afraid of you here,” said Nauseda.
Lithuania's State Security Department intelligence agency said the attack was likely carried out to prevent the Russian opposition from influencing Russia's presidential election.
Putin, who has been in power since the turn of the millennium, is holding an election in the coming days against symbolic opposition to extend his rule for another six years.
The Kremlin views Navalny's team as “the most dangerous opposition force capable of exerting real influence over Russia's internal processes,” the Lithuanian security agency said.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the incident.
Volkov himself also pointed the finger directly at Putin.
In a Telegram post, he said he had returned home on Wednesday morning after a night in hospital, having suffered a broken arm and injuries sustained from around 15 hammer blows to the leg during the attack.
“This is an obvious and typical criminal 'hello' from Putin, from criminal Petersburg,” Volkov wrote.
“We will continue working and will not surrender,” Volkov added. “It's difficult, but we'll deal with it. It’s good to know I’m still alive.”
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called the incident shocking and said the attackers must “answer for their crime.” Lithuanian police commissioner Renatas Pozela said police were devoting “huge resources” to investigating the assault.
He insisted the attack did not mean that the European Union and NATO country of 2.8 million people, which borders Russia and Belarus and has become a base for Russian and Belarusian opposition figures, was no longer safe.
“This is a unique event that we will resolve successfully… Our people should not be afraid because of this,” Pozela said.
Source: CNN Brasil
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