A longtime pro-Putin blogger published a tirade against the Russian president. Now he’s in a psychiatric hospital.
Ilya Remeslo, a longtime pro-Kremlin blogger known for filing complaints against critics of the Russian authorities, made waves in the country this week when he published a Telegram post titled “Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin.” Days later, he was reported to have been hospitalized at a St. Petersburg psychiatric facility. Here’s what we know about Remeslo’s about-face.
According to the Telegram channel Baza, Remeslo was placed in the 16th ward at Skvortsov-Stepanov Psychiatric Hospital No. 3, which specializes in first-onset psychosis in male patients. Pro-war blogger Aleksandr Kartavykh, who first reported the hospitalization, claimed this is not Remeslo’s first time in a psychiatric facility: he was allegedly hospitalized in a different clinic about a year ago. Two sources also told Meduza the same.
The initial reports of the blogger’s hospitalization triggered speculation on Telegram about punitive psychiatry, particularly given that the Skvortsov-Stepanov hospital was used to commit Soviet-era dissidents. But bloggers and journalists later noted that members of Remeslo’s family work in psychotherapy and psychiatry. Some commentators, including pro-war bloggers, concluded that Remeslo may have checked himself in to avoid criminal prosecution following his posts critical of Putin.
Remeslo, 42, built his reputation as a pro-Kremlin blogger largely by targeting the late opposition politician Alexey Navalny. For years he accused Navalny of embezzling donations, and in 2020 he claimed it was his complaint that prompted investigators to open a criminal case against Navalny for alleged fraud. Remeslo testified for the prosecution when the case went to trial in early 2022.
Vyacheslav Gimadi, head of the legal department at Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), has said that Remeslo had been “part of Putin’s power vertical” since at least 2015. Navalny’s team reported that the blogger received money from legal entities linked to Konstantin Kostin, a former senior Russian official, whom the Anti-Corruption Foundation has described as one of the Kremlin’s key contractors in its campaign against Navalny.
Until recently, Remeslo presented himself as a staunch supporter of Putin and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Then, on March 17, he published a post on his Telegram channel accusing Putin of starting the war, damaging Russia’s economy, censoring the Internet and media, consolidating power illegally, suppressing the opposition, and harboring an “insane craving for luxury.” The post ended: “Vladimir Putin must resign and be put on trial as a war criminal and a thief.”
The reversal left both pro-government bloggers and opposition figures baffled. Some suggested it was a provocation, a political maneuver, or a mental breakdown. Others theorized that Remeslo may have learned of an impending criminal case against him and moved to reposition himself as a dissident.
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There was also early speculation that his account had been hacked. Remeslo denied this, posting video messages insisting he had written the Putin post himself and stood by it. He added that he was still in Russia, unafraid of prosecution, and ready to publish “insider” information about those in power. He later shared his bank details on Telegram and asked for donations.
On March 18, Remeslo gave a lengthy interview to The Breakfast Show, a YouTube project run by journalist Aleksandr Plyushchev, which was published in full only after reports of his hospitalization had already emerged. In the interview, Remeslo appeared wearing a shirt resembling a military uniform and did not seem to be in mental distress. He said he was acting independently, without outside influence or coordination, and was not facing any legal trouble.
“I started thinking about this two or three years ago — around the time of the disgraceful episode with Prigozhin’s mutiny, when Putin behaved, in my view, quite cowardly,” he told interviews.
I didn’t like that at all, and I began to feel I could no longer respect someone like that. But then the situation at the front improved somewhat, and, most importantly, Trump appeared and began proposing peace deals to Putin. That inspired me; for several months I thought peace was just around the corner. But nothing happened. I started to doubt whether Putin even wants to end the war at all. I spoke with fighters from the Akhmat unit, went to the front, and came to the conclusion that things are bad and won’t get better. That it’s time to call it quits — we’re not going anywhere with Putin, he’ll keep doing whatever he wants.
As for the war itself, Remeslo said he was against it becoming a prolonged conflict and would prefer a negotiated settlement between Russia and Ukraine.
“If our army were advancing [in Ukraine] right now, it wouldn’t make me happy anymore, because I’d understand that it would only strengthen Putin’s grip on power — and sooner or later he’ll collapse anyway and drag the country down with him,” he said. “Back in 2022–2023, of course, that would have pleased me. […] Ideally, influence on Ukraine should have been exerted through soft power. That would have been more effective and less costly.”
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Remeslo said he had not received any threats from the authorities since his post. Apti Alaudinov, commander of Chechnya’s Akhmat special forces unit, called him and asked him to delete it, but he refused. During that conversation, Remeslo said, he quoted musician Yuri Shevchuk, who said in 2022 that “the motherland is not the president’s backside that must be kissed.”
Remeslo also spoke openly about his work for the Putin administration, saying he had been paid to “work on Navalny.” He told Plyushchev that he had been a Navalny supporter in 2011–2012, but lost faith in the politician after his email was hacked. In 2013, during the KirovLes timber company’s embezzlement case against Navalny, Remeslo met political blogger Stanislav Apetyan, who encouraged him to start blogging himself. He did, and from around 2015 or 2016, he began receiving Kremlin money for his work.
“It was personal for me,” Remeslo said. “It annoyed me that Navalny seemed untouchable, and I wanted him to get nailed,” he said.
Remeslo also said he believes the authorities tolerated Navalny’s activities for so long because the opposition politician had protection from Vyacheslav Volodin, who served as first deputy head of the presidential administration from 2011 to 2016.
Although Remeslo tried to frame his campaign against Navalny as a personal vendetta, he continued working with the presidential administration even after Navalny was jailed — and then killed in prison. That cooperation ended only a few months ago, Remeslo said, offering no explanation beyond saying he had been “phased out” of the pro-government blogger pool.
By his own account, Remeslo had long wanted to speak out against Putin and chose to do so now because he believes the regime is running out of time. He was vague about the basis for that belief, joking only that Putin has a “bad horoscope” and adding that the power structure Putin built is accumulating mistakes at an accelerating pace.
“As for me, I don’t want to consider leaving the country,” he said. “I believe this regime doesn’t have long left. I’d rather sit it out here for the time being — and then, as they say, come out a winner.”