July 17, 2026, 2:46 p.mJuly 17, 2026, 2:46 p.m
Ex-Kremlin propagandist Ilya Remeslo, who became known for his sharp criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been arrested. Russian media published a video of the blogger lying on the ground and wearing only his underwear.
The state news agency Tass had previously reported on the arrest, citing investigators. Remeslo was arrested on charges of spreading false news about the Russian army, it said.
Ilya Remeslo.Image: X/mikhail khodorkovsky
Remeslo will be transferred from his home in St. Petersburg to the capital Moscow, said his lawyer Sergei Badamshin. In March, Remeslo described Kremlin leader Putin as a thief, a war criminal and an illegitimate president. He also complained about the political and economic dead end that Putin had led the country into with the war in Ukraine.
He was then unexpectedly admitted to a psychiatric clinic. Until then, Remeslo had made a name for himself primarily as a supporter of Kremlin politics and as an informer of the Russian opposition. After his release from the clinic, he continued his criticism of Putin and the conditions in Russia – and caused astonishment among many commentators that the power apparatus let him get away with it.
Kremlin nervous before election – Putin’s approval ratings have fallen again
With a view to the parliamentary elections on September 20th, Remeslo said that Putin’s political end was near and that new times would dawn in the country. Before the election of the new State Duma – the name of the parliament in Russia – there is great nervousness in view of the fallen approval ratings for Putin and the Kremlin party United Russia.
Russian media reported that Putin’s approval ratings fell by a record five percentage points within a week. According to a survey by the state polling institute FOM, 66 percent of those surveyed rated the president’s work as good. This was the sharpest decline in a week since Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine began more than four years ago.
Commentators said that people were becoming increasingly dissatisfied under conditions of war and increasing repression. Specifically, many Russians are angry about a shortage of gasoline after Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries and about the blocking of social networks and websites. (hkl/sda/dpa)