Ilya Remeslo trial opens in Russia over army remarks

The trial of Russian activist Ilya Remeslo opened in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday over remarks about the Russian army, after the former pro-Kremlin figure turned against President Vladimir Putin and Moscow's Ukraine offensive.

Remeslo, 43, was arrested in July and charged with spreading false information about the Russian army. The charge carries up to 10 years in prison under censorship laws adopted after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.

He pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday.

Remeslo had spent years targeting Russian opposition figures and testified against the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. He later denounced Putin, calling him a “war criminal” and saying Moscow's offensive against Ukraine was being waged “solely to satisfy his ego.”

Two days later, he was sent to a psychiatric facility. At an earlier pre-trial hearing, Remeslo told the court he was being persecuted for criticising authorities and expressing his opinion.

Russia has jailed a string of government critics during Putin's long rule, and many opponents are dead, in exile or in prison.