Russia Intensifies Crackdown on Opposition: Blogger Detained, Politician Fined

Russian authorities have escalated their crackdown on the remaining domestic opposition, detaining a prominent blogger and fining a local politician, effectively preventing him from running for parliament.

Blogger Ilya Remeslo, once a staunch supporter of Vladimir Putin but who dramatically reversed his stance last March, calling the president a "war criminal and thief" and demanding his resignation, has been remanded in custody for two months on suspicion of spreading false information about the military.

Separately, Boris Nadezhdin, a 63-year-old former MP who ran an anti-war presidential campaign two years ago, was convicted of "displaying extremist symbols." The ruling stems from a video he reposted in 2023 that briefly showed an image of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Nadezhdin was fined 1,000 roubles (£9.50; $13) and the conviction bars him from collecting signatures required to register as a candidate for the September parliamentary elections. He was also declared a "foreign agent" last week, but until the conviction he could still legally gather signatures. He can appeal the ruling.

Nadezhdin, who suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes, briefly collapsed in court in Dolgoprudny, near Moscow. He denied the charges, claiming their real aim was to silence him and prevent him from running for the Duma. He also told the court he could not pay the fine as all his accounts are frozen.

On Friday, Remeslo also appeared in court and was sent to pre-trial detention for two months. His lawyer said he had been taken to Moscow hours after his arrest in St Petersburg. Remeslo is accused of disseminating fake news about the military due to his March 2026 Telegram post titled "Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin." The post criticized damage to Russia's economy and restrictions on internet and media freedom. He was previously sent to a psychiatric hospital for a month, which he alleged was involuntary.

On the eve of his arrest, Remeslo posted on Telegram that "the situation is getting worse rapidly for Putin," citing an energy crisis and intensifying elite conflicts. Ukraine's strikes on oil refineries have caused fuel shortages in many regions, including Moscow. Two opinion polls show Putin's approval rating has dropped: FOM put it at 66%, down five points in a week, while VTsIOM reported 65.1%, the lowest since the full-scale war began in February 2022. Remeslo claimed "everything is moving toward a situation where even a small push could lead to Putin losing power."