A Russian court released former Yekaterinburg Mayor Yevgeny Roizman from detention but ordered him not to communicate with anyone without permission as it imposed pretrial restrictions a day after police arrested the outspoken Kremlin critic.
Roizman, who faces charges of "discrediting the armed forces," was also ordered by the Yekaterinburg court on August 25 to not use the Internet, telephones, or mail and not attend any public events. His communications are limited to family members and his lawyers.
The court rejected prosecutors' request that Roizman be restricted to leaving his apartment for only one minute a day before midnight only.
Roizman, who won election as mayor following opposition protests in 2012, entered a not-guilty plea as he made his first court appearance on August 25.
Yekaterinburg authorities said earlier he was being investigated for "discrediting the Russian Army," an offense for which he could face up to five years in prison. Rights activists say Russian authorities are using the charge broadly to silence critics of the Ukraine invasion.
A charismatic and sometimes profane public figure, Roizman served as mayor of Russia's fourth largest city from 2013 until 2018, when authorities ended direct elections for mayor.
Since leaving office, he has gained a popular following for his campaigns to raise money for ill children, and he is known for his regular jogs around the city, which attract supporters and journalists alike.
Since Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Roizman has been outspoken in his criticism and has been fined three times on misdemeanor charges of "discrediting the Russian Army."
Shortly after the invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law criminalizing any criticism regarding the armed forces or the conduct of the Ukraine war, which the Kremlin calls a "special military operation."
According to the watchdog group OVD-Info, more than 3,800 administrative, or misdemeanor, cases have been brought against people between March and August on the charge of discrediting the armed forces. In all, 224 Russians have been prosecuted on anti-war charges.