One anti-war critic, another arrested as Russia crackdowns on protesters.

Russian authorities have continued to crack down on what little domestic dissent remains in the country, arresting a prominent blogger and barring a local politician from running for parliament.

Blogger Ilya Remelo has been a staunch supporter of Vladimir Putin since last March, calling the president a “war criminal and a thief” and calling for his resignation.

He is now in prison for two months on suspicion of spreading false information about the army.

Separately, a decision banning Boris Nadezhdin from collecting signatures for parliamentary elections in September was condemned for “showing signs of extremism”.

Nadezhdin, 63, gained notoriety two years ago when he tried to run for president on an anti-war platform, but was ultimately disqualified after election officials ruled his signatures were invalid.

There are few real opposition politicians left in Russia, and former MP Nadezhdin has presented himself as a pro-peace politician.

Most went into exile abroad, and the most prominent figure, Alexei Navalny, died suddenly in an Arctic colony in February 2024. Russia said he died of natural causes, but United Kingdom and four European countries , ExternalThey said they were sure he was “poisoned with a deadly poison.”

Nadezhdin He was initially labeled a “foreign agent” before his arrest on Monday over a video that briefly showed Navalny’s image in 2023. He was also banned from leaving Russia.

Being labeled a foreign agent would have barred him from running for office, but he could still collect signatures to run as long as a legal loophole was not found until he was found guilty of “extremist symbols.”

He can still appeal the 1,000 ruble (£9.50; $13) fine.

Nadezhdin suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes and appears in court in his hometown of Dolgoprudny, north of Moscow, where he briefly collapses.

He denied the charges and said their real aim was to shut him down and stop him from running for the Duma (Russian parliament). They also explained to the court that they cannot pay any penalty as all their accounts have been blocked.

On Friday, the blogger Remeslom appeared in court and was ordered to remain in pre-trial detention for two months. He was taken to Moscow after being arrested in his hometown of St. Petersburg hours earlier, his lawyer said.