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. (AP)

The post Russian Opposition Figure Detained After Returning to Moscow appeared first on The Yeshiva World.