MOSCOW. March 23 (Interfax) - Basmanny district court in Moscow has ordered the arrest of blogger Maxim Kats (designated an individual foreign agent in Russia) accused of publicly disseminating knowingly false information regarding the use of Russia's Armed Forces.
"The court granted an investigator's petition for in absentia detention of Kats, Maxim Yevgenyevich. The custody period will be counted in the form of two months from his arrest in Russia or extradition," the court's spokesperson Yekaterina Buravtsova told Interfax on Thursday.
Kats is being accused of knowingly spreading public misinformation regarding the use of Russia's armed forces, motivated by political, ideological, ethnic hatred or animosity, or motivated by hatred towards a particular social group. The offense carries a fine of 3 to 5 million rubles, or up to five years of forced labor, or up to 5 to 10 years of imprisonment.
The criminal inquiry was launched on April 7, 2022, and has since been extended until April 7. On March 9 Kats was placed on an international wanted list.
In July the blogger was added to the Justice Ministry register of individual foreign agents.
Kats also is a former member of the municipal assembly of Moscow's Shchukino district.