One anti-war critic fined, another held as Russia clamps down on opponents

Russian authorities are intensifying their crackdown on dissent, recently detaining prominent blogger Ilya Remeslo and preventing local politician Boris Nadezhdin from participating in parliamentary elections.

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war criminal and thief

Remeslo, once a supporter of President Vladimir Putin, publicly denounced him as a "war criminal and thief" in March. He now faces two months in pre-trial detention on suspicion of spreading false information against the military, stemming from a March 2026 blog post. His lawyer stated he was detained in St. Petersburg and taken to Moscow.

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displaying extremist symbols

Meanwhile, Boris Nadezhdin, 63, has been convicted of "displaying extremist symbols," a ruling that disqualifies him from collecting signatures for the September parliamentary elections. Nadezhdin, who previously attempted a presidential run on an anti-war platform, was declared a "foreign agent" last week. The conviction is linked to a 2023 video he reposted that briefly showed an image of the late Alexei Navalny. Nadezhdin denies the charges, asserting the real goal is to silence him and prevent his candidacy for the Duma.

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Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin

These actions highlight the shrinking space for opposition in Russia. Many genuine opposition politicians have fled the country, and prominent figures like Alexei Navalny have died in custody under disputed circumstances. Nadezhdin, who suffers from chronic health conditions, fell briefly in court and stated he could not pay the fine as his accounts were frozen. He can appeal the ruling, which also fined him 1,000 rubles.

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foreign agent