Seven men wielding baseball bats attack son of Irkutsk man who rented office space to Navalny's presidential campaign

Wielding baseball bats, seven men in Irkutsk have attacked the son of a man who rents office space to Alexey Navalny’s presidential campaign. The incident occurred on Wednesday, and the victim has reportedly been hospitalized, though the severity of his injuries is still unknown, Sergei Bespalov, Navalny’s local campaign manager, told the news agency Interfax.

According to Bespalov, the campaign lost its previous lease after “bandits” intimidated their landlord.

“They talked to the last one. This time, it seems, they decided not to talk, but to go straight to a beating,” Bespalov said.

Alexey Navalny’s supporters and campaign staff have faced harassment and rental problems throughout Russia, where landlords have largely refused to rent him office space, or canceled lease agreements at the last minute.