Lawyer Ilya Remesło was previously known for his campaign against the Russian opposition. On March 18, however, he made a radical turn. On the Telegram channel, he wrote to his 90,000 followers. observing that Vladimir Putin is an illegitimate president. In his opinion, the “war criminal and thief” should resign from power and face trial.
The unexpected criticism goes far beyond what the Russian system allows. In a kind of manifesto, the blogger made serious accusations against Putin: he has led the country to the stalemate of the war in Ukraine, is harming the economy, and is stifling the freedom of the media and the Internet.
Public opinion in Russia was outraged. And this is only the beginning of the allegations that have spread widely on the Russian Internet.
Ilya Remeslo claims that Putin is surrounded by thieves who agree with him and tell him only what he wants to hear. He bluntly admits that absolute power leads to absolute corruption.
According to him, the war with Ukraine has so far claimed between 1 and 2 million victims. Remesło warns that the system in Russia is “rotten from the inside” and will “completely collapse.”
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In an interview with the British website “The Guardian”, Remesło even went a step further. “Vladimir Putin should resign and be put on trial as a war criminal. This man destroyed everything he could get his hands on. The country is literally falling apart,” he said.
The Russian justice system has already sentenced critics to prison for less explicit statements. However, the attack on Putin, especially from a member of the pro-Kremlin camp, is surprising. It takes place at a time when both war losses and the damage to the economy are becoming more and more felt in Russia.
According to Russian media, for the criticism expressed on March 18, a day later, on Thursday, Remesło was sent to Psychiatric Hospital No. 3. Skvortsov-Stepanova in St. Petersburg.
“He didn't discover America”
Remeslo appeared, among other things, as a prosecution witness in the trials against Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who died in prison in 2024.
Alexei Navalny in 2019Dmitri Chirciu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Contributor / Getty Images
Leonid Volkov, a former close associate of Navalny, suspects that the Kremlin's ploy is behind the alleged 180-degree turn. “Ilya Remesło never does anything for free. And he never does anything without permission. We should not take into account the theory that he has come to his senses,” he wrote on X.
Remesło assured in a short video that his Telegram account had not been hacked.
Another position on the website “The Moscow Times” (Onet's partner) is presented by an opposition politician, former executive director of the Open Russia movement, former political prisoner and expert on Russian politics, Andrei Pivovarov.
“People like Remesło are needed by the regime to invent pretexts, legalize repression, create convenient semantic constructions for persecution, and then pretend that everything happened by itself, in accordance with the law,” Pivovarov claims.
According to the expert, Remesła's return should be perceived not as a “moral gesture”, but as a “political signal”. According to Piwowarow, this case is interesting as a symptom of a broader phenomenon.
— Remesło writes and says things for which people are imprisoned in Russia. They go to prison even for much milder statements, he emphasizes.
— He didn't discover America. He simply said aloud what most Russians, including the pro-government public opinion, have been thinking for a long time: the war is stalled, the economy is collapsing, internet and media freedom is being stifled, Putin has been in power for too long and treats his own electorate without the slightest respect, Pivovariov sums up.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
