Watchdog

The head of a Russian investigative website says on his Facebook page that he was attacked in Moscow by an assailant who struck him and splashed him with antiseptic green dye, echoing past assaults on prominent anti-Kremlin activists.

Ruslan Leviev, founder of Conflict Intelligence Team, a blogging group that focuses on Russian military and mercenary activity, said in a post on November 27 that he was walking home when a man came up to him, hit him in the jaw, and splashed him with the dye.

He posted pictures of himself on Facebook with green dye on the right side of his face and hands as he washed it off.

Leviev said the attack was most likely "revenge" for his previous activities.

Moscow police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Leviev.

If confirmed, the attack would echo those made in 2017 against Kremlin opponent Aleksei Navalny, who was briefly hospitalized after he was hit in the face by green dye twice in a five-week period. It was not clear who carried out the attacks.

The green liquid, known as "zelyonka," is sold in pharmacies as an antiseptic and is difficult to wash off.

In 2017, Ilya Varlamov, a well-known blogger focusing on corruption issues, was attacked in Stavropol by men who pelted him with zelyonka, eggs, and flour.

With reporting by Reuters

The top U.S. envoy in Moscow has expressed concerns about the "deteriorating health" of Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen charged in Russia with espionage and detained since his arrest nearly a year ago.

On November 27, the U.S. Embassy also decried Moscow’s "shameful treatment" in denying the former marine the "minor comfort" of a Thanksgiving dinner that charge d’affaires Julie Fisher attempted to deliver to the Lefortovo detention center in Moscow.

The 49-year-old Whelan, who also holds Canadian, Irish, and British citizenship, was arrested in a hotel room in the Russian capital in December 2018 and charged with espionage.

He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Whelan denied the allegations and his family said he was in Moscow at the time for a wedding.

Whelan told reporters from a cage at a Moscow court hearing on August 23 that he had been abused by prison guards during his incarceration as he awaits trial.

On November 19, Moscow City Court upheld an earlier ruling to prolong Whelan’s pretrial detention until December 29.

"On this Thanksgiving Eve, I am most concerned about #PaulWhelan's deteriorating health and continued isolation from family. It is time that we are allowed to bring in an outside doctor, as suggested by a high-level Russian official. Enough is enough,” Fisher said in a Twitter statement.

Earlier, the embassy said that "Russian authorities denied #PaulWhelan the minor comfort of a Thanksgiving dinner today. As American families around the world gather, Paul marks 11 months in prison and can't even call his parents. This is shameful treatment."

November 28 is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, a day when American families traditionally gather for turkey dinners.