Moscow: Former Russian Prime Minister and opposition leader Mikhail Kasyanov said he was attacked by people who shouted threats at him, days after he was the target of an intimidating message from Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov.

About 10 young men whom he believed to be Chechens yelled that he was an “enemy” who should leave Russia as one of them threw a cake at him in a Moscow restaurant late Tuesday, Kasyanov said by phone on Wednesday. The men, who were all dressed similarly, then waited outside the restaurant for about 40 minutes and fled just before police arrived, he said. He’s complained to police about the “threat to his life and safety,” Kasyanov said.

Kasyanov hasn’t accused Kadyrov of being responsible for the assault. The incident took place after Kadyrov posted a video on his Instagram account last week showing Kasyanov apparently in the crosshairs of a scope sight. Kadyrov posted a photo of himself with a sniper rifle a few days later and both pictures were accompanied by the same message — “those who don’t understand will get it.”

The former Chechen separatist, who now loudly proclaims his devotion to President Vladimir Putin, has grown increasingly vocal in threatening opposition activists as public confidence in the authorities has fallen amid a slump in oil prices that leaves Russia at risk of a second year of recession. He described opponents of Putin last month as “traitors” and “enemies of the people,” a Soviet-era term that could lead to execution of dissidents under the communist system.

‘Unacceptable’ Attack

The attack on Kasyanov was hooliganism that’s “unacceptable” and “to be condemned,” though there’s no need to link it to the Chechen leader, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call on Wednesday.

Kadyrov’s focus on Kasyanov comes as the anniversary approaches of the February 2015 murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister, who was gunned down near the Kremlin. The main suspect, Zaur Dadayev, was deputy head of an elite police unit loyal to Kadyrov, who’s denied any involvement in the killing and said he’s willing to testify.

Kasyanov said that he’s the only former Russian premier who doesn’t have protection from state bodyguards after Putin withdrew the privilege in 2005.