Pavel Gubarev, an associate of Igor Girkin (aka Strelkov), the former military commander of Moscow-backed separatists in Ukraine who was sent to pretrial detention following his criticism of President Vladimir Putin, was briefly detained by security forces in Moscow on July 21 after picketing the Meshchansky district court building to demand Girkin's release.
The Meshchansky court on July 21 sent Girkin to two-month pretrial detention on an extremism charge for criticizing Putin and senior military officials for what he said was their ineffective war campaign in Ukraine. Girkin entered a plea of not guilty.
Girkin was sentenced in absentia to life in prison by a Dutch court in November in the case of the 2014 shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine in which all 298 people on board died. He was also placed on a sanctions list by Western countries. Russia has denied any involvement in the shooting down of the plane.
SEE ALSO: Ex-Leader Of Russia-Backed Separatists In Ukraine Detained In MoscowGubarev, who used to be the self-styled governor of the separatist-held part of Ukraine's Donetsk region, was taken away by police while talking to the media about Girkin's case.
Gubarev's detention prompted a group of his and Strelkov's supporters gathered outside the courthouse to chant "Freedom" and "Shame."
Gubarev was released an hour later after which he said he was lectured by authorities about the illegality of picketing.
Two other people -- a girl holding poster reading "Strength in truth" and a young man who displayed the slogan "Freedom to Strelkov" on his smartphone -- were also detained by police outside the court. Their fate was not immediately known.
As self-styled governor, Gubarev survived an assassination attempt back in 2014.
Girkin was a key commander of Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region in 2014 where Gubarev was the Moscow-installed governor. Girkin also helped Russia illegally annex Ukraine's Crimea that year.
His arrest appears to indicate he has fallen out of favor with the Kremlin despite previously being seen as untouchable given his background.
A former officer of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Girkin was reportedly involved in the early 1990s in the Transdniester and Bosnia wars, where he is said to have fought on the side of Russian and Serb separatists, respectively.
Girkin, who as a military blogger has strongly backed Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has sharply criticized Putin, recently referring to him as a “nonentity” and a “cowardly mediocrity.”
He lashed out also at Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for "mistakes" in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, accused him and Putin of "incompetence," and argued that a total mobilization is needed for Russia to achieve victory.
In one of his harshest rants, Girkin said in a July 18 post on his official Telegram channel that Putin should transfer power "to someone truly capable and responsible." The post has garnered almost 800,000 views.