Russia Detains Anti-Putin Blogger Amid Stepped-Up Crackdown on Dissent

A pro-Kremlin blogger who turned against President Vladimir Putin was detained on Friday, reflecting the Kremlin’s mounting sensitivity to criticism as Ukrainian drone attacks bring the war close to home.Police arrested Ilya Remeslo at his St. Petersburg apartment on charges of spreading false information about Russia’s armed forces, the state news agency Tass reported. Mr. Remeslo’s lawyer says he was later moved to Moscow for questioning.Mr. Remeslo had been a staunch supporter of Mr. Putin and had routinely written negative posts about opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison in 2024.But this spring, Mr. Remeslo posted a Telegram essay titled “Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin” in which he called the Russian president a war criminal. Mr. Remeslo was sent to a mental hospital for a month after the post.After his April release, Mr. Remeslo posted that conditions in the hospital were prison-like. “Harsh criticism of top state officials comes at a price — bear that in mind,” he stated.But Mr. Remeslo remained critical of Mr. Putin. On Thursday, hours before he was detained, Mr. Remeslo predicted that the Russian president would be ousted by the end of the year.Also Thursday, opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin was convicted on charges that will disqualify him from running in parliamentary elections. Mr. Nadezhdin was accused of displaying an extremist symbol by posting a video that contained an image of Navalny.Mr. Nadezhdin has openly criticized the war in Ukraine, prompting Russia’s Justice Ministry to label him last week as a foreign agent. Mr. Nadezhdin had tried to run against Mr. Putin in 2024 but was thrown off the ballot.Mr. Nadezhdin told the court he was put on trial to “shut me up and not let me run in parliamentary elections.” He previously said he was considering going abroad, but before Friday’s hearing Mr. Nadezhdin received notice that he was barred from leaving the country.Mr. Putin’s government has clamped down on dissent and has meted out harsh treatment to citizens who dared to criticize the Ukraine invasion. Hundreds of people have been jailed and many others have left the country.Mr. Putin’s popularity is slipping as the effects of the Ukraine war are being more widely felt in Russia. Ukrainian drone attacks have crippled the fuel supply system leading to widespread rationing. The independent news site Meduza reported Friday that a public opinion poll found Mr. Putin’s approval rating dropped five points in the past week and now sits at 66 percent.

Russia Detains Anti-Putin Blogger Amid Stepped-Up Crackdown on Dissent

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