Russian blogger leaves mental clinic after Putin post

A pro-Kremlin blogger who was sent to a mental hospital after his unexpected attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin has been released after 30 days in the facility.

“Harsh criticism of senior government officials has a price – keep that in mind,” Ilya Remeslo said on Telegram after his dismissal.

Remeslo, long considered an ardent supporter of Putin and an opposition informer, made headlines in March when he described the president as a thief and war criminal in a Telegram post.

At that time, he said that Putin’s presidency was illegitimate, that the Ukraine war had put Russia in a political and economic deadlock, and complained that media freedom was suppressed and internet access was restricted during Putin’s rule.

In response, authorities admitted Remeslo to a psychiatric clinic; This is probably intended as a warning and is reminiscent of a practice used during the Soviet era, when dissidents were confined to mental hospitals to discredit them and break their will.

Remeslo stated that the conditions in the institution were harsh and that, unlike penal colonies, walks were not allowed.

He did not withdraw his criticism of Putin, but said that in the future he would “express himself more carefully and balancedly, without personal attacks.”