Pro-War Blogger Mikhail Polynkov Detained Amid Controversy in Moscow

Law enforcement officials detained pro-war blogger Mikhail Polynkov in Moscow, as reported by Russian media on Wednesday.

Polynkov, who is closely linked to imprisoned former separatist leader Igor Girkin, manages the Telegram channel «Soldier’s Truth» and has been characterized in various reports as a recruiter of foreign fighters for pro-Russian groups in eastern Ukraine.

He allegedly had a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry until August 2023, when he was asked to step down following his comments criticizing President Vladimir Putin. According to the news outlet RBC, he was subsequently transferred to a different unit that November.

Agents from the Federal Security Service (FSB) apprehended Polynkov in Moscow and moved him to a military investigation office, as per his lawyer. He is facing criminal accusations of desertion, according to anonymous sources in law enforcement who spoke to the state news agency TASS.

In a post on his Telegram channel early Wednesday, Polynkov implied that his arrest was a form of retaliation for his critique of pro-Kremlin television presenter Vladimir Solovyov regarding his support for Israel in its conflict with Iran.

RBC and TASS noted that Polynkov is the deputy chairman of the Russian Strelkov Movement, a nationalist organization led by Girkin. The movement indicated that Polynkov had been involved in efforts to find Russian soldiers who went missing in Ukraine, suggesting that these activities may have led to his arrest.

Girkin, often referred to by his alias Igor Strelkov, commanded separatist troops in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and was sentenced in absentia by a Dutch court to life imprisonment in 2022 for his involvement in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

In a separate case, a Russian court sentenced Girkin to four years in prison in 2023 for «inciting extremism» after he expressed criticism of Putin’s response to the comprehensive invasion of Ukraine.