Activist Mikhail Kriger has ended his hunger strike. He maintained it for 50 days.

The support group found out that 65-year-old Kriger ended his hunger strike yesterday. There are no further details yet.

For about two weeks, the activist maintained a dry hunger strike, but later switched back to a wet one. Despite his deteriorating health, he refused intravenous drips for glucose or vitamins.

During the hunger strike, several international celebrities spoke out in support of Kriger: Shirley Manson, lead singer of American band Garbage, actors Martin and Janet Sheen, John Cusack, and philosopher Slavoj Žižek. They wrote letters in his support. The prison administration responded to the letter from the Garbage singer, who had asked them not to isolate Kriger from other prisoners. The prison stated that their actions were “proper and lawful.”

Kriger is being held in Correctional Colony No. 5 in Oryol region, a city in western Russia south of Moscow. He launched the hunger strike to demand a transfer to the general prison wing. Since 9 September, the activist has been isolated from other prisoners: initially he was placed in a punishment cell (SHIZO), and then continued to be held in solitary on the grounds of “ensuring his safety.”

19 November Kriger’s support group reported that on 11 November, he was placed in an EPKT (cell-type facility) for six months.

The punishment was imposed because he greeted someone through a fence during exercise. As a result, Kriger ended his hunger strike. He is now eating small portions of regular food.

• Kriger is serving a seven-year sentence after being convicted of “incitement to extremism” (part 2, article 280 of the Criminal Code) and “justifying terrorism” (part 2, article 205.2 of the Criminal Code) due to posts in which he wrote about his “intense hatred of the regime” and attacks on FSB buildings in Arkhangelsk, a city in northern Russia, and Moscow. According to the activist, the real reason for the prosecution was his anti-war and pro-Ukrainian position.