Outspoken antiwar politician and former Yekaterinburg mayor Evgeny Roizman charged with felony ‘discrediting the military,’ could face up to five years in prison

Police in Yekaterinburg arrested former Mayor Evgeny Roizman on Wednesday morning, local time, on felony charges of discrediting the Russian Army. The Telegram channel Mash published a video showing police officers raiding Roizman’s home. The former mayor’s lawyer told the news website RBC that she learned about Roizman’s arrest from the media.

An outspoken critic of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Roizman was fined three times between March and April for criticizing the armed forces. Though first-time offenses are treated as a misdemeanor in Russia, repeat violations can trigger criminal charges and a maximum penalty of five years in prison.