Russian activist arrested a day after predicting Putin will end up in handcuffs
Ilya Remeslo faces charges of spreading fake news about the Russian army under censorship laws introduced when Moscow sent troops to Ukraine
The charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Sergei Badamshin, named by independent media as his lawyer, said on social media that Remeslo was being transported to Moscow to face court.
Remeslo had for years been associated with the Kremlin’s repression and targeting of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, testifying against him in court and helping to land him in prison. Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony in 2024.
But earlier this year, Remeslo turned on the Kremlin, publishing a “manifesto” against Putin and saying the long-time leader should be put on trial.
Shortly afterwards, he was sent to a psychiatric hospital – in an episode reminiscent of Soviet-era forced hospitalisation.