Ilya Remeslo remains in custody over military disinformation charges

The Moscow City Court has rejected an appeal by Ilya Remeslo, a prominent former pro-Kremlin Z-blogger, maintaining his detention in pretrial custody until at least September 16. Remeslo is facing charges of spreading military “fake news” regarding the Russian army.

The legal proceedings, held behind closed doors, follow a significant shift in Remeslo’s stance. Previously a staunch supporter of Vladimir Putin, he published a manifesto titled “Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin,” which investigators claim contradicts the official position of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Following this publication, Remeslo was forcibly placed in a psychiatric hospital for 30 days before being released and subsequently arrested in July.

Remeslo has a history of involvement with anti-corruption activists, having previously acted as a witness in cases involving Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). Following the court's decision, Remeslo stated, “Thank you for your attention to my case. Everything will be fine. Russia will be free.”