Igor "Strelkov" Girkin, a Russian war criminal and a former commander of Russian proxy forces in occupied Donetsk Oblast, has been arrested, as reported on July 21 by his Telegram channel and Russian media.
"Today, at about 11:30 a.m., representatives of the investigative committee came to us," says the latest message on Girkin's channel, signed as "Miroslava Reginskaya, the wife of Igor Strelkov."
The Telegram post said the investigators took Girkin by the arms and took him in an unknown direction.
"I managed to learn from friends that my husband was charged under article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (extremism)."
The Russian news agency RBC also reported that Girkin was arrested by law enforcement officers, citing its sources in the police and Girkin's lawyer.
According to RBC's preliminary information, Girkin was detained "at the request of a former employee of the Wagner Group."
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, is a former Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) agent and a key figure in the start of Russia's war against Ukraine when he helped seize Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast, in 2014.
Girkin has also been found guilty of participating in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine, which killed 298 people.
During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he has been often critical of the Russian military's conduct in the war. Girkin co-founded the Club of Angry Patriots, a hardline nationalist movement pushing for more extreme measures to achieve victory over Ukraine.
According to Russian media, Girkin has been arrested already on Aug. 14, 2022, in Crimea, while trying to reach the front line to fight the Ukrainian army.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
