Russian Opposition Figure With Israeli Citizenship Detained After Returning to Moscow

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities on Monday briefly detained a liberal politician with dual Israeli citizenship who recently returned to Moscow from abroad, the latest move in a relentless crackdown on dissent amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Leonid Gozman was detained after the Russian Interior Ministry issued a warrant for his arrest while investigating a criminal case against him.

Gozman has been accused of breaching the law that requires Russian citizens to notify authorities about a foreign citizenship or a residency permit. If found guilty, Gozman could be sentenced to a fine or community work.

Gozman notified the authorities about his Israeli citizenship but they claimed that he failed to do so within the required time.

Gozman, a vocal critic of the Kremlin’s campaign in Ukraine, left Russia when it started but returned in June in what he described as a “moral” choice.

The Russian Justice Ministry has listed him as a “foreign agent,” a description that carries a strong pejorative meaning and implies additional government scrutiny.

Gozman was detained on the Moscow subway and taken to a police station. The politician was later released, but the criminal case against him is still pending, according to his lawyer, Mikhail Biryukov.