Igor Strelkov, a controversial former Donbass militia commander, was detained in Moscow on Friday amid an investigation into allegations of extremism, according to news outlets and family members. The soldier-turned-blogger is also known by his real name, Igor Girkin.
Citing sources, newspaper RBK reported that the Russian Investigative Committee was executing a search order at Strelkov’s home, and that he had been taken into custody.
Strelkov became the focus of international attention in 2014 while serving as defense minister of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), which was then unrecognized.
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 in prison. Moscow rejected the prosecution as politically motivated and claimed it was an attempt to whitewash possible Ukrainian guilt.