A Russian court said on Oct. 7 it had placed Yegor Guzenko, a pro-war blogger who has criticized the Kremlin, in custody on charges of "using violence" against a police officer.
Guzenko is the author of the popular Telegram channel Trinadtsaty (Thirteenth), which has over 300,000 subscribers. He covers Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, writing posts in support of Moscow's invasion.
Guzenko had previously participated in Russia's war against Ukraine in Donetsk Oblast since 2015 and in the Syrian civil war in 2019.
In September, Guzenko spoke out against Russian authorities, criticizing the arrest of ex-warlord Igor Girkin and saying that "traitors have taken over the country." The videos were soon deleted from his Telegram channel, according to Meduza.
Girkin, also known by his alias "Strelkov," is an ex-intelligence officer who played a pivotal role in Russia's aggression against Ukraine in 2014.
Girkin was arrested in July 2023 over his Telegram posts on extremism charges. His comments were often critical of the Kremlin's conduct in the war.
Guzenko was detained in the town of Novopavlovsk in Stavropol Krai on Oct. 5.
The Baza Telegram channel claimed that initially he was detained on suspicion of using drugs but the blogger "resisted" the police.
According to the Mash Telegram channel, Guzenko was at a concert wearing a mask and, when the police asked him to take it off, he allegedly attacked them with his fists.
In 2022, Guzenko was prosecuted on hooliganism charges after allegedly shooting a person in the face with pepper spray.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
