The former mayor of Russia’s fourth-largest city — and a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin — was arrested on Wednesday for speaking out against the war in Ukraine.
Yevgeny Roizman, 59, who served as the mayor of Yekaterinburg from 2013 to 2018, was taken into custody by police following raids on his apartment and office — as part of the Kremlin’s nationwide crackdown against dissidents.
Roizman told reporters he was charged with discrediting Russia’s military, which is illegal under a law that was adopted after the invasion of Ukraine in February. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
Yevgeny Roizman, former mayor of the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, has been arrested for allegedly criticizing the country’s military. APRussian courts fined Roizman three times earlier this year on similar charges, paving the way for a criminal case that the law authorizes for repeat offenses.
Roizman has emerged as one of the most visible and charismatic opposition figures in Russia. During his time as mayor, he enjoyed broad popularity in Yekaterinburg, a city of 1.5 million in the Ural Mountains, though his tenure was marked by controversy stemming from his aggressive persecution of drug users.
Shortly after his arrest, a few local residents staged a protest in his support.
Cautious words of support also came from Roizman’s longtime political rival, the governor of Russia’s Sverdlovsk region.
“We used to be and continue to be political opponents. The law is the law. But, like any person, he deserves fairness and respect, and I hope he gets them,” Gov. Yevgeny Kuyvashev said in a video statement posted on Telegram.
While masked men in camouflage uniforms escorted him from his apartment, Roizman told reporters he would likely be brought to Moscow for investigation.
He said the criminal charges against him were triggered by him calling the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine an “invasion.” The Kremlin describes it as a “special military operation.”
Roizman, 59, has been outspoken in his criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which he has publicly called “war.” AP“I was saying that everywhere, and I will say it now,” the defiant politician added.
In a second video published by state-owned news agency RIA, Roizman said as he was led away: “In principle, the essence is that I called the war a war. That’s it. Unfortunately, I have no defense.”
State news agency TASS cited Yekaterinburg security services as confirming the reason for the arrest, saying Roizman was being investigated for “discrediting the Russian army.”
Vladimir Putin’s government has been cracking down on critics expressing opposition to the war in Ukraine by doling out fines and filing charges. Getty ImagesHuman rights lawyer Pavel Chikov wrote on Telegram that Russian courts had so far dealt with about 3,500 cases of alleged discrediting of the armed forces, and nearly all those involved had been found guilty.
Until his arrest, Roizman was one of the most visible opposition figures in Russia who had not been been jailed or fled the country under pressure from authorities.
Two other prominent opposition politicians, Ilya Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Murza, and former state television journalist Marina Ovsyannikova were arrested under the same law as Roizman and face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Similar charges were recently brought against eight close associates of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. All of them have left Russia after they became the subjects of multiple criminal investigations.
With Post wires
