Prominent sociologist and Kremlin critic Boris Kagarlitsky was detained in Russia for allegedly calling for terrorism' online - a charge that could result in a seven-year prison sentence.
ADVERTISEMENTRussian authorities have arrested prominent sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky and accused him of 'calling for terrorism' online, according to state-run news agencies on Wednesday.
Kagarlitsky's arrest is the latest case in a crackdown on outspoken critics of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The 64-year-old has denied the charge that could see him imprisoned for up to seven years, his lawyer told the TASS news agency.
"In his work, professor Kagarlitsky never supported or justified terrorism. The purpose of all his statements is to show the real problems faced by the Russian state," his lawyer Sergei Yerokhov was cited as saying.
He is expected to remain in detention until 24 September.
Kagarlitsky is a professor at the Moscow Higher School of Economics, a university known for its liberal values. And he is well known for his writings on Russian society and leftist political history.
Russian authorities declared Kagarlitsky a foreign agent in 2022. And he was a political prisoner in the Soviet Union between 1982 and 1983.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has taken its crackdown on critical voices to an unprecedented level.
Most well-known opponents are in exile or behind bars, and thousands of ordinary Russians have been detained for protesting or criticising the offensive.