Former separatist commander and nationalist military blogger Igor Girkin, a frequent critic of Russia’s leadership, was on Friday arrested and remanded in custody awaiting trial on charges of extremism.
Girkin — better known by his alias Igor Strelkov — is a supporter of the Ukraine offensive, but has also regularly criticized its conduct on the Telegram messaging app, where he is followed by about 875,000 people.
By opening a case against him, observers said authorities were sending a signal that any criticism — even from supporters of the military operation in Ukraine — are off limits in the aftermath of the Wagner mercenary group’s short-lived rebellion.
Photo: AFP
A Moscow court ordered Girkin to be placed in detention pending trial on charges of “public calls for extremism” that could land him in prison for five years.
“Justice in our country, once again, has not triumphed” his lawyer, Alexander Molokhov, told reporters outside the Meshchansky Court in Moscow.
Molokhov said the defense would appeal the court’s decision and explained the case against his client was based on two social media posts in which Girkin discussed Russian-annexed Crimea and army supplies.
Several dozen supporters gathered around the court, with at least one detained.
“Igor Ivanovich Strelkov isn’t just not an extremist: He is a patriot who has gone through five wars in the interests of Russia,” Gubarev said.
In one of his most recent posts Girkin urged Putin to hand over power to a successor.
“The country will not survive another six years of this cowardly mediocrity in power,” he wrote on Telegram.
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