While famed Russian dissident Aleksei Navalny was fighting for his life in Germany after being poisoned in a Kremlin-inspired assassination attempt in 2020, one of his most outspoken critics was Russian lawyer and blogger Ilya Remeslo, an avid supporter of Vladimir Putin. He continued his barrage of criticism after Navalny, fully recovered, returned to Moscow in January of 2021. Navalny, as the world knows, was arrested upon arrival at the airport in Moscow and imprisoned in a Siberian penal colony until his death under suspicious circumstances in February of 2024.

Remeslo’s support of Putin never wavered . . . until March 17, 2026, when he suddenly posted on Telegram:

“Vladimir Putin is not a legitimate president. He must resign and be brought to justice as a war criminal and thief.” [Mike Eckel, RFE/RL, March 19, 2026.]

Titled “Five Reasons Why I Stopped Supporting Vladimir Putin,” his screed continued:

“What started as a ‘police operation’ has now claimed 1-2 million casualties. The war is being waged solely to satisfy Putin’s insecurities; we, ordinary citizens, gain nothing from it, we only lose.

“He’s afraid of debates and fair elections, because the emperor has no clothes. Long live freedom, dammit!” [Id.]

Now, that kind of criticism of Putin — or of the Ukraine war in general — is sufficient to earn anyone a prison sentence for “discrediting the armed forces” under a law passed after the February 2022 invasion. But coming from a known supporter of the government, this was big — and mystifying — news.

As expected, it did not go unnoticed. But, rather than being arrested, it was reported on March 19th that Remeslo was in a psychiatric hospital in St. Petersburg, claiming to have checked himself in the previous day. Speculation was that he might have considered this a way to avoid a possible criminal investigation. Yet in an interview with Russian-language news outlet Agentstvo on March 18th, he repeated some of his critical remarks about Putin, stated that he did not plan to leave the country, and said:

“They can’t really jail everyone for criticizing Putin. That’s nonsense.” [Id.]

In a post on X, Leonid Volkov — a leading member of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation now living in exile in Europe — called Remeslo’s action “the most amazing mid-air flip I’ve ever seen. I find it hard to imagine any arrangement in which someone in the presidential administration would greenlight Remeslo going after Putin personally. That opens a far too dangerous Pandora’s box. It crosses every red line. Something doesn’t add up. [Id.]

*. *. *

I saw no further mention of Remeslo until yesterday, when an apparent selfie of him appeared on his Telegram channel above the following post:

“Good evening, dear friends! Today I left the 20th section of the Skvorotsova-Stepanova [sic] hospital, where I spent 30 days. Harsh criticism of top state officials comes at a price — bear that in mind.” He added that conditions at the hospital were “quite harsh, even compared to a prison,” and that he had not been allowed any time outdoors while there. [RFE/RL, April 17, 2026.]

Not surprisingly, I was unable to find any interior photos of the building; but judging solely from the exterior, that is not a place I would willingly enter at all, much less check myself into. Remeslo has not yet stated the reason for his admittance, but has suggested he would do so soon. He did say that he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol when he was admitted.

As with many reports from Russia, there are more questions than answers here. Why did Remeslo openly turn against Putin? Was he in his right mind at the time, or did he suffer some sort of mental break? If he knew what he was doing, what did he think would happen to him? Did he actually self-admit to a hellish psychiatric hospital, or was he forced to go? Was the most recent post really submitted by him, or was it faked by the Russian authorities? And most importantly — and assuming, in a best-case scenario, that he actually is alive and free — what’s next for him?

In the April 17th statement, he said nothing further — neither pro nor con — about the Putin administration. But he did offer this teaser:

“I don’t regret what I did in essence, but if I were to do it now, I would use more measured and balanced wording, without resorting to personal attacks. I intend to address this oversight in the future. . . . within two or three days I’ll tell you why all this was done and I’ll tell you about my future plans.” [Id.]

And, rather oddly, he added that he is “open to proposals for cooperation.” [Id.]

But from whom, or in what context, remains a mystery . . . much like the rest of his tale.

Frankly, I don’t like the sound of that last post; it feels as though it was written for him, or under duress. Or perhaps after 30 days of typical Russian psychiatric “treatment.”

One thing I do know: I’ll be on the lookout for follow-up.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/18/26