Support The Moscow Times!

Lithuania to Review Navalny Allies’ Claims Over Volkov Attack

Gitanas Nauseda, President of Lithuania. European Union / flickr

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said Monday that his country will seriously consider claims that Russian-Israeli businessman Leonid Nevzlin ordered an attack on Navalny ally Leonid Volkov.

“We will always support the opposition as they fight against the Putin regime, and we will carefully examine all claims about who organized what,” Nauseda told the Lithuanian broadcaster LRT in what marks the first public response from Nauseda regarding the controversy.

Last week, Alexei Navalny’s team published an investigation accusing Nevzlin, an exiled billionaire and close associate of Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, of orchestrating Volkov’s beating in Lithuania in March. He was also accused of organizing attacks against Navalny aide Ivan Zhdanov in Switzerland and the wife of economist Maxim Mironov in Argentina.

Nevzlin has denied having involvement in “any attacks on people, in any form whatsoever,” adding that “justice will confirm the absurdity and complete baselessness of the accusations against me.”

Khodorkovsky, the former owner of Yukos, said that his investigative outlet, Dossier Center, had been alerted to Nevzlin’s possible involvement earlier this summer. However, Dossier Center ultimately concluded that the evidence provided was insufficient to meet its investigative standards.

Nauseda on Monday emphasized that members of the Russian and Belarusian opposition “will be able to operate freely and be safe” in Lithuania, describing it as a point of honor for a “civilized, democratic nation.”

Lithuania is one of several European countries where anti-war Russians have found refuge since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more