Aide to Russia's Navalny steps aside in furore over sanctions letter to EU

Leonid Volkov, Alexei Navalny's chief of staff, speaks during an interview in Vilnius, Lithuania September 5, 2022. REUTERS/Janis Laizans

(Reuters) - A top aide to jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny said on Thursday that he was stepping aside after calling on the European Union to lift sanctions against one of Russia's richest men.

The move by Leonid Volkov, Navalny's chief of staff and a leading face of his movement, sent shockwaves through the opposition, with some seeing it as a gift to President Vladimir Putin.