Moscow's Lefortovo Court on August 1 issued an arrest warrant in absentia on a charge of treason for lawyer Ilya Novikov, an outspoken Kremlin critic who has openly criticized Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Novikov, who currently lives in Ukraine and has Ukrainian citizenship, on June 11 was sentenced in absentia to 8 1/2 years in prison for spreading false information about Russia's military. "Hey, what's wrong with you? You can't arrest me in absentia! I'm already sitting in prison in absentia," Novikov ironically commented on the court's decision on X. Novikov has also been added to the registry of "foreign agents." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Russian Court Issues Arrest Warrant In Absentia For Kremlin Critic
Russian lawyer and Kremlin critic Ilya Novikov (file photo)