Authorities have reportedly taken action against Igor Strelkov on suspicion of extremism
Igor Strelkov. © Sputnik/Maxim Blinov
Igor Strelkov, a controversial former Russian militia commander who is wanted by the Netherlands over his alleged role in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Donbass, has reportedly been detained in Moscow.
Citing sources, RBC reported on Friday that the Russian Investigative Committee was executing a search order at Strelkov’s home. Strelkov was reportedly taken into custody.
A message posted on Strelkov’s social media, which was signed by his wife, said she had learned about the detention from the concierge of the apartment block. Unidentified friends said Strelkov was suspected of extremism, according to the message.
RBC reported that Strelkov’s lawyer had confirmed his detention. Sources in law enforcement claimed that the action was based on a criminal complaint filed by a former member of the Wagner private military company.
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Other Russian news outlets later confirmed the news about Strelkov’s detention, citing their own sources.
Strelkov, whose real name is Igor Girkin, became the focus of international attention in 2014 while serving as defense minister in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).
The role made him the prime suspect in the Dutch investigation into the downing of MH17, which crashed in July 2014, killing all 298 people on board. In November 2022, a Dutch court sentenced Strelkov in absentia to a life term. Moscow rejected the prosecution as politically motivated and claimed it was an attempt to whitewash possible guilt by Ukraine.
Strelkov is now a popular military blogger, and is a vocal critic of the Russian government and military leadership amid the conflict with Ukraine.
READ MORE: MH17 verdict ‘politically motivated’ – Russia
Earlier this year, Strelkov was involved in a public feud with Evgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group. Prigozhin challenged Strelkov to go to the front lines and join his forces, although the pair could not reach agreement over which position Strelkov would take.
Prigozhin is now viewed as a pariah in Russia after staging a brief mutiny last month. He ordered some of his men to march on Moscow with the stated goal of replacing senior Russian generals. Moscow branded Prigozhin a traitor, but allowed him to leave the country to avoid major bloodshed.
Strelkov also had tensions with fellow members of his ‘Club of Angry Patriots’ online group over his criticism of Wagner troops.
