Ilya Remeslo admitted to psychiatric facility after criticising Putin
Updated
Updated · 112.ua · May 4
Ilya Remeslo admitted to psychiatric facility after criticising Putin
8 articles · Updated · 112.ua · May 4
The former Kremlin-aligned blogger was taken to a Saint Petersburg hospital on 19 March and is reportedly being held in Ward 16, which treats men with psychotic disorders.
In Telegram posts on 17-18 March, Remeslo called the Ukraine war hopeless, said Putin was illegitimate, and demanded his resignation and prosecution as a war criminal and thief.
An interview recorded by journalist Alexander Plyushchev has intensified debate among activists, with the case seen as highlighting repression of dissent and possible discontent among some former supporters of the Russian government.
Why did a top Kremlin propagandist suddenly turn against Putin?
Is Russia reviving Soviet-era psychiatric abuse to silence its critics?
Will this blogger's defiance after his release inspire a wider revolt?
From Kremlin Insider to Psychiatric Prisoner: The Weaponization of Psychiatry Against Ilya Remeslo in 2026
Overview
In March 2026, former pro-Kremlin blogger Ilya Remeslo publicly denounced Putin and the war in Ukraine, calling for the president's resignation. Just two days later, he was forcibly confined to a psychiatric hospital under opaque circumstances, enduring harsh conditions before his release a month later. The Kremlin responded with silence, while state media and pro-regime figures downplayed the incident, signaling a strategy to suppress dissent without public debate. This case reflects a disturbing revival of Soviet-era punitive psychiatry, intensified by the war's economic strain and elite fractures exposed by events like the 2023 Prigozhin rebellion. Remeslo's ordeal highlights the regime's growing fear of internal challenges and its harsh measures to silence critics.