MOSCOW — In an extraordinary public outburst, President Vladimir Putin’s former bodyguard and chief of the National Guard on Tuesday challenged opposition leader Alexei Navalny to a duel. Viktor Zolotov recorded an emotional seven-minute speech, posted on the National Guard’s YouTube channel on Tuesday, attacking Navalny for his investigation into large-scale corruption at the National Guard. Navalny, Russia’s most popular opposition leader, is currently in jail serving a 30-day sentence for organizing an unsanctioned public protest. The 64-year old Zolotov, who rarely makes public appearances, took to YouTube to vent his frustration with the opposition leader. “Zolotov’s public threats against Navalny should be taken without any irony,” said Ilya Yashin, an opposition activist and close friend of slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

Source: National Post September 11, 2018 12:02 UTC