Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny has skipped the opening of his election headquarters in southwestern city of Astrakhan on April 28 after an unknown assailant splashed a green antiseptic, known as "zelyonka," on his face.
Navalny wrote on his website that his right eye had swollen after the April 27 attack outside the Moscow headquarters of his Anti-Corruption Fund, and therefore he is not able to travel to Astrakhan.
"The ophthalmologist told me not to go anywhere, to avoid light and have eye drops," Navalny wrote on April 28. https://navalny.com/
Navalny wrote earlier that doctors had diagnosed that his right eye's cornea and pupil were chemically burned by zelyonka.
Navalny's lawyer Ivan Zhdanov said on April 28 that his client had officially asked Moscow police to find the attacker.
Navalny is seeking to run for president in March 2018 -- a direct challenge to President Vladimir Putin, who is widely expected to win a new six-year term.
On March 20, Navalny was doused with the green antiseptic while opening a campaign office in the Siberian city of Barnaul.
Russian authorities say Navalny will be barred from the ballot if a conviction on financial-crimes charges is upheld on appeal. He denies wrongdoing and has vowed to press on with his campaign.
