Russian security services have detained Igor Girkin — a supporter of the war against Ukraine who has become a vocal 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 under the guise of support for separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014, became increasingly scathing in his criticism of Moscow’s handling of the full-scale campaign launched nearly 17 months ago, and has called for Vladimir Putin to step down as Russian president.
Russian state media on Friday showed pictures of Girkin in a Moscow courtroom behind a glass wall. It said the state was accusing Girkin of “public calls to carry out extremist activities on the internet”.