Russia arrests pro-war Kremlin critic Igor Girkin on extremism charges

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Russian security services have detained Igor Girkin, a supporter of the war against Ukraine who has become an outspoken critic of how the Kremlin has handled the invasion – and accused him of extremism.

Girkin, a prominent nationalist and former FSB intelligence officer who led Russia’s covert invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014 under the guise of backing separatists, criticized Moscow’s handling of the full-scale operation launched nearly 17 months ago. Criticism became increasingly strident, and he has called for Vladimir Putin to step down as Russian President.

Russian state media showed photos of Girkin behind a glass wall in a Moscow courtroom on Friday. It added that the state is accusing Girkin of “public calls to carry out extremist activities on the Internet”.

move against girkin, also known as nome de guerre Strelkov comes as the Kremlin cracks down on critics on its nationalist side who support the war in principle but have become vocal critics of the Russian military’s battlefield failures.

“Angry patriots” like Girkin are in the spotlight after Wagner militia boss Yevgeny Prigozhin led an uprising in Moscow last month. General Sergei Surovikin, another favorite in nationalist circles, was immediately taken into custody after the 23 June uprising and has not been heard from publicly since.

Girkin called for Putin’s downfall this week. “The country cannot survive another six years of this cowardly lowlife in power,” he wrote on his Telegram channel, which has nearly 900,000 subscribers. Girkin’s wife, Miroslava Reginskaya, announced his detention on the same channel on Friday.

Reginskaya said she learned “from friends” that Girkin had been accused of extremism by the security services. “I don’t know anything about my husband’s whereabouts,” she said.

“It is a moment within which there is much siloviks “There has been an anxious wait,” said Tatyana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, referring to the group of security hawks surrounding Putin. The former officer “long ago crossed all possible limits, which has caused a desire among security forces, from the FSB to the military chiefs, to capture him”.

Stanovaya said, “This is a direct result of Prigozhin’s rebellion: the army command is now taking greater political advantage to crush its opponents in the public domain.” “It is unlikely that there will be a large-scale crackdown against ‘angry patriots’, but the most vehement dissenters may face prosecution, which will serve as a warning to others.”

Girkin, who described himself as the man who “started the war” in Ukraine when his forces stormed the Donetsk city of Slavyansk in April 2014, also played a role in Russia’s annexation of Crimea a month earlier.

Girkin ruled Sloviansk at first during the nearly three-month Russian occupation of the city. Documents recovered by journalists after he fled with his troops to the city of Donetsk in July 2014 revealed that Girkin oversaw the military “tribunal” that sentenced three locals to death by firing squad. it was reported later that Girkin had ordered the execution of at least six people and admitted to having killed one himself.

After his retreat, Girkin was made “defense minister” for the Russian-controlled Donetsk region.

Girkin was one of four men linked to Russia’s military convicted in absentia by a Dutch court last November and sentenced to life in prison for their role in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014.

The Kremlin ordered Girkin to return to Moscow a month after the airstrike.

Girkin has been sanctioned by Britain, the US, the European Union, Australia, Japan, Canada and Switzerland for his part in Russia’s nine-year-long intervention in Ukraine.

He has tried to return to the front lines in occupied Ukraine on several occasions since Russia’s full-scale invasion, but has been turned down each time by Russia’s military leadership.

A statement posted on Friday on Girkin’s Telegram channel, claiming to be written by his supporters, expressed disappointment over his arrest.

The anonymous writers said Girkin had “openly and appropriately” criticized Putin and the Kremlin, as freedom of expression is guaranteed by Russia’s constitution. “Today, faith in it has waned.”

The statement said Girkin’s arrest coincided with an “attempt to disband the Angry Patriots Club” which “has extremely negative consequences for the country’s stability” in the context of the Ukraine war.

Others in the pro-war, patriotic camp also warned about the anger caused by Girkin’s detention.

“You can have all kinds of disagreements with Igor Strelkov, but the authorities should realize that by such actions they are stirring up even more discord in the country’s patriotic community at war,” said Alexander Pelevin, a writer better known as “Z-”. Poet for his support of the war in Ukraine”.

Get Free Russian Politics Updates

we will send you one myFT Daily Digest Latest Email Rounding russian politics News every morning.

Russian security services have detained Igor Girkin, a supporter of the war against Ukraine who has become an outspoken critic of how the Kremlin has handled the invasion – and accused him of extremism.

Girkin, a prominent nationalist and former FSB intelligence officer who led Russia’s covert invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014 under the guise of backing separatists, criticized Moscow’s handling of the full-scale operation launched nearly 17 months ago. Criticism became increasingly strident, and he has called for Vladimir Putin to step down as Russian President.

Russian state media showed photos of Girkin behind a glass wall in a Moscow courtroom on Friday. It added that the state is accusing Girkin of “public calls to carry out extremist activities on the Internet”.

move against girkin, also known as nome de guerre Strelkov comes as the Kremlin cracks down on critics on its nationalist side who support the war in principle but have become vocal critics of the Russian military’s battlefield failures.

“Angry patriots” like Girkin are in the spotlight after Wagner militia boss Yevgeny Prigozhin led an uprising in Moscow last month. General Sergei Surovikin, another favorite in nationalist circles, was immediately taken into custody after the 23 June uprising and has not been heard from publicly since.

Girkin called for Putin’s downfall this week. “The country cannot survive another six years of this cowardly lowlife in power,” he wrote on his Telegram channel, which has nearly 900,000 subscribers. Girkin’s wife, Miroslava Reginskaya, announced his detention on the same channel on Friday.

Reginskaya said she learned “from friends” that Girkin had been accused of extremism by the security services. “I don’t know anything about my husband’s whereabouts,” she said.

“It is a moment within which there is much siloviks “There has been an anxious wait,” said Tatyana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, referring to the group of security hawks surrounding Putin. The former officer “long ago crossed all possible limits, which has caused a desire among security forces, from the FSB to the military chiefs, to capture him”.

Stanovaya said, “This is a direct result of Prigozhin’s rebellion: the army command is now taking greater political advantage to crush its opponents in the public domain.” “It is unlikely that there will be a large-scale crackdown against ‘angry patriots’, but the most vehement dissenters may face prosecution, which will serve as a warning to others.”

Girkin, who described himself as the man who “started the war” in Ukraine when his forces stormed the Donetsk city of Slavyansk in April 2014, also played a role in Russia’s annexation of Crimea a month earlier.

Girkin ruled Sloviansk at first during the nearly three-month Russian occupation of the city. Documents recovered by journalists after he fled with his troops to the city of Donetsk in July 2014 revealed that Girkin oversaw the military “tribunal” that sentenced three locals to death by firing squad. it was reported later that Girkin had ordered the execution of at least six people and admitted to having killed one himself.

After his retreat, Girkin was made “defense minister” for the Russian-controlled Donetsk region.

Girkin was one of four men linked to Russia’s military convicted in absentia by a Dutch court last November and sentenced to life in prison for their role in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014.

The Kremlin ordered Girkin to return to Moscow a month after the airstrike.

Girkin has been sanctioned by Britain, the US, the European Union, Australia, Japan, Canada and Switzerland for his part in Russia’s nine-year-long intervention in Ukraine.

He has tried to return to the front lines in occupied Ukraine on several occasions since Russia’s full-scale invasion, but has been turned down each time by Russia’s military leadership.

A statement posted on Friday on Girkin’s Telegram channel, claiming to be written by his supporters, expressed disappointment over his arrest.

The anonymous writers said Girkin had “openly and appropriately” criticized Putin and the Kremlin, as freedom of expression is guaranteed by Russia’s constitution. “Today, faith in it has waned.”

The statement said Girkin’s arrest coincided with an “attempt to disband the Angry Patriots Club” which “has extremely negative consequences for the country’s stability” in the context of the Ukraine war.

Others in the pro-war, patriotic camp also warned about the anger caused by Girkin’s detention.

“You can have all kinds of disagreements with Igor Strelkov, but the authorities should realize that by such actions they are stirring up even more discord in the country’s patriotic community at war,” said Alexander Pelevin, a writer better known as “Z-”. Poet for his support of the war in Ukraine”.