Who is Igor Girkin? Prominent Russian blogger arrested over extremism charges

Igor Girkin, a popular blogger who is critical of the current Russian establishment, has been arrested and remanded into custody on charges of extremism. On Friday, July 20, 2023, Grikkin was taken by agents of Russia’s Investigative Committee at 11:30 am local time. He has been charged with Part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which prohibits public incitement to extremist activity.

It is suspected that Igor Girkin’s arrest and detention comes in the wake of his critical comments of Vladimir Putin and his government. The Russian blogger has been vocal about his disapproval of the country's campaign against Ukraine, alleging that Russia is destined to lose the war if its current strategy prevails.

Aside from that, he also made several incendiary comments against the Russian premier himself. Igor Girkin has been remanded to pre-trial detention until September 18, 2023, after his initial hearing.

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Igor Girkin's disagreements with the Wagner Group may have led to his arrest

Igor Girkin is a former intelligence colonel with the FSB. He was central to the the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014, which also led Russia’s proxy army in the subsequent skirmishes in eastern Ukraine. He has also been convicted by a Dutch Court in November, 2022 for his part in a missile strike that caused the crash of the infamous MH-17 flight which killed all passengers on board.

Despite his association with Russia’s government and military, Igor Girkin has become increasingly critical of Russia’s recent actions, especially of the manner in which they are conducting their operations in Ukraine. He had also cofounded a group called the Club of Angry Patriots, whose members unite in their disapproval of Russia’s allegedly soft approach to the Ukrainian war.

On social media, Igor Grikkin wrote that Russia has already lost. In a statement referring to President Putin, he said:

“For 23 years, a nonentity was at the head of the country, who managed to ‘throw dust in the eyes’ of a significant part of the population…The country will not survive another 6 years in power of this cowardly mediocrity. The only thing he could do usefully ‘before the end’ … is to ensure the transfer of power to someone truly capable and responsible. Too bad it didn’t even cross his mind.”

Until his arrest, it was believed that Igor Girkin was untouchable. In an interview with the Guardian in 2016, Girkin described his precarious relationship with the Kremlin as follows:

“They don’t know what to do with me: am I a hero or a terrorist? ... They can’t arrest and jail me because it would be seen as bowing to the west to call me a terrorist. But to give me honours is also inconvenient for them, so I’m in this strange gap.”

It is believed that these comments, as well as Igor Girkin public enmity with Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, was the cause behind his fallout with the ruling regime. As per Tatiana Stranovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center:

“This is a direct outcome of [Yevgeny] Prigozhin’s mutiny … The army’s command now wields greater political leverage to quash its opponents in the public sphere. It’s unlikely that there will be massive repressions against ‘angry patriots,’ but the most vehement dissenters may face prosecution, serving as a cautionary”

Meanwhile, the Defense intellegentia of Ukraine speculates that there is internal strife within the Kremlin. The news has led to Girkin's detention in Russia. Andrii Yusov, a representative of Ukrainian intelligence, while speculating that there are internal conflicts within the Kremlin, said:

“The issue is not with Girkin himself, who has never acted as an independent figure before. Neither have many other military correspondents or military bloggers, or members of Girkin’s group. These are not independent figures”

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As per Russian law, Igor Girkin could be sent to jail for up to five years.