MOSCOW , Jul 25 (AP) — The Russian authorities on Monday briefly detained a liberal politician who recently returned to Moscow from abroad, the latest move in a relentless crackdown on dissent amid Moscow’s military action in Ukraine.
Leonid Gozman was detained after the Russian Interior Ministry issued a warrant for his arrest while investigating a criminal case against him.
Gozman has been accused of breaching the law that requires Russian citizens to notify authorities about a foreign citizenship or a residency permit. If found guilty, Gozman could be sentenced to a fine or community work.
Gozman notified the authorities about his Israeli citizenship but they claimed that he failed to do so within required time.
Gozman, a vocal critic of the Kremlin’s campaign in Ukraine, left Russia when it started but returned in June in what he described as a “moral” choice.
The Russian Justice Ministry has listed him as a “foreign agent,” a description that carries a strong pejorative meaning and implies additional government scrutiny.
Gozman was detained on the Moscow subway and taken to a police station. The politician was later released, but the criminal case against him is still pending, according to his lawyer, Mikhail Biryukov.