Writer Dmitry Bykov has been arrested in absentia.

The Cheryomushki District Court in Moscow has arrested writer Dmitry Bykov in absentia in a case concerning the dissemination of “fake news” about the Russian army, allegedly motivated by hatred (paragraph “d,” part 2, article 207.3 of the Criminal Code), and for failing to comply with “foreign agent” obligations (part 2, article 330.1 of the Criminal Code), reports Mediazona.

At the hearing, it was revealed that the “fake news” charge is connected to an interview the writer gave to the YouTube channel “Popular Politics.” In October 2023, Bykov spoke there about the shelling of the village of Hroza in Kharkiv region, during which 59 people were killed. Earlier, the Investigative Committee said the charges relate to a certain video containing false information about the actions of Russian military personnel towards civilians in Ukraine.

In court, the investigator said the writer “has for a long time disagreed with Russia’s domestic and foreign policies.”

The Investigative Committee announced the criminal case against Bykov at the end of April. In July, it became known that he had been placed on the wanted list.

In summer 2022, Bykov was included on the “foreign agents” register. After that, he was repeatedly fined under protocols for non-compliance with “foreign agent” obligations.