Moscow: Igor Girkin, a well-known Russian nationalist who had publicly accused President Vladimir Putin and the army's top brass of not prosecuting the war in Ukraine harshly or effectively, was taken into custody by Russian investigators on Friday.
His wife, his attorney, and the RBC news outlet all reported the action, which may indicate that the authorities are tired of hearing him criticize what they refer to as Russia's "special military operation."
It comes in the wake of an unsuccessful uprising last month that was led by another vocal opponent, Wagner mercenary force leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is still at large but has significantly toned down his own verbal attacks.
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Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, assisted Russia in annexing the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and later organized pro-Russian militias that Kiev-based forces used to seize control of a portion of eastern Ukraine.
For his alleged involvement in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, which resulted in the deaths of 298 passengers and crew, he was also given a life sentence in absentia by a Dutch court in 2022.
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Due to his background and connections with the authorities, the former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer had long been seen as invulnerable, but in recent months, he had become more outspoken.
In May, Girkin declared that he and others had founded the "Club of Angry Patriots" to enter politics and protect Russia from what he claimed was the threat of unrest brought on by Ukrainian military failures.
On July 18, Girkin launched one of his most vehement tirades against Putin in a post on his official Telegram channel that was seen by over 760,000 people. Girkin urged Putin to delegate power "to someone truly capable and responsible." His wife, Miroslava Reginskaya, wrote the following in a message on Girkin's official Telegram account:
"Representatives of the Investigative Committee visited our home today around 11:30 a.m. I wasn't in my house. The concierge reported that they soon carried my husband by the arms and fled in an unknown direction. She claimed that she had heard from friends that Girkin had been accused of extremism.
My husband hasn't contacted me, so I have no idea where he is," the woman said. The authorities didn't respond right away. The reason for Girkin's detention was unclear, according to his attorney, who told the state news agency TASS.
RBC reported that Girkin's Moscow home was being searched and that he had been detained in response to a complaint made against him by a former Wagner employee, citing two unnamed law enforcement sources. The men in charge of Russia's power and law enforcement ministries, according to Tatiana Stanovaya, have long wanted to have Girkin arrested.
She claimed that Strelkov (Girkin) had long ago exceeded all reasonable bounds.
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This is a direct result of Prigozhin's mutiny: The army's command now has more political clout to silence its critics in public. Stanovaya claimed that Girkin's arrest was a sign that even the most ardent opponents of Moscow's strategy for the war might be prosecuted.