Pro-Kremlin Figure Institutionalized After Denouncing Vladimir Putin

Ilya Remeslo, a former Putin supporter, was hospitalized in a St. Petersburg psychiatric facility shortly after calling for the Russian President's resignation and trial.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 21, 2026, 9:20 AM EDT

Source: Reuters

The Viral Manifesto: "Five Reasons Why I Stopped Supporting Putin"

On Tuesday, Ilya Remeslo stunned his 90,000 Telegram followers by posting a scathing manifesto that marked a total reversal of his career as a pro-government influencer. In the post, Remeslo described the invasion of Ukraine as a "failing war" and accused Putin of destroying Russia's economy and causing millions of deaths. Most provocatively, the 42-year-old lawyer declared that Putin is not a legitimate president and should be brought to trial as a "war criminal and a thief." The post quickly gained traction across both pro-war and opposition channels, causing confusion and debate within the Russian digital landscape.

Forced Hospitalization in St. Petersburg

By Thursday, reports emerged from the St. Petersburg-based newspaper Fontanka that Remeslo had been admitted to Psychiatric Hospital No. 3. A facility worker confirmed to Reuters that an individual matching Remeslo’s full name and patronymic had indeed been admitted, though the hospital declined to provide a specific reason or the legal grounds for the admission. It remains unclear whether Remeslo entered the facility voluntarily or was forcibly committed—a tactic that human rights organizations note has deep roots in Soviet-era "punitive psychiatry" used to silence political dissent.

A Career of Denouncing Dissent

Before his sudden pivot, Remeslo was a prominent figure in the Kremlin’s orbit. As a lawyer and former member of an advisory body to the government, he made a career of attacking opposition figures. He was particularly known for his relentless criticism of the late Alexei Navalny, often appearing on state media to provide "legal" justifications for the crackdown on Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation. His decision to join the ranks of the critics he once helped prosecute has left analysts struggling to determine if this represents a genuine change of heart or a fracture within the Russian elite.