Russian authorities have arrested Yevgeny Roizman, a well-known opposition member in Russia, for criticizing the Ukraine war. According to the TASS news agency, Roizman is being investigated for “discrediting the Russian military.”
The Guardian adds that the former mayor of Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, is being accused of using the word “invasion” in light of a new law banning criticism of the armed forces. According to the same newspaper, Roizman could be sentenced to several years in prison.
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Yevgeny Roizman is a rare example of an opposition member who has managed to make it big in Russian politics. Mayor of Yekaterinburg from 2013 to 2018 and an activist, he remained a prominent public figure, openly criticizing the Kremlin’s policies, particularly in relation to the invasion of Ukraine, and showing support for Alexei Navalny, the currently imprisoned opposition leader. Since the beginning of the war, on February 24, he has been fined three times for his statements.
In March, speaking to the Observer, he confessed to understanding what anti-fascists felt during the Third Reich. “But I can’t escape, it’s unthinkable to do so,” he declared, admitting, in an interview with another outlet, that he kept a bag with a toothbrush and toothpaste in case he was arrested.
Source: Observadora
