Kremlin critic Dmitry Gudkov flees Russia for Ukraine, citing arrest fears

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
Rebecca Falconer
·1 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Dmitry Gudkov, a prominent Russian opposition politician who was held in police custody for two days last week, announced Sunday that he's left the country for Ukraine because he fears he'll be arrested.

Why it matters: Gudkov's departure comes as authorities move to stamp out dissent before Russia's parliamentary elections in September, per AP — which notes leading opposition figure Andrei Pivovarov was last week jailed for two months pending an investigation into the pro-democracy Open Russia group.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

  • The 41-year-old Gudkov said in a Facebook post as he traveled to Kyiv that several Kremlin sources had told him that if he did not leave the country, the "fake criminal case" against him would result in his arrest.

Driving the news: Gudkov was placed under house arrest last Tuesday in a criminal case concerning allegations that he didn't pay a rental property debt.

  • The former member of parliament told Reuters Friday he had no connection to the rental property and the real reason for the case was that Russian officials didn't want him to run for a seat in Russia's parliament.

Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

Recommended Stories

  • Kremlin critic Gudkov leaves Russia fearing new arrest

    Russian opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov said on Sunday he had left Russia after receiving warnings by people close to the Kremlin that he would be arrested if he stayed in the country. A former member of the Russian parliament, Gudkov, 41, was detained by Russian law enforcement officials on Tuesday over allegations he failed to pay a debt on a rented property, which he denies. A group of Kremlin opponents, many of them allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, have fled the country due to the latest crackdown on the opposition after street rallies to demand Navalny's release.

  • Russian opposition figure leaves country for Ukraine

    A well-known Russian opposition politician who was held in police custody for two days last week in a criminal investigation said Sunday that he has left the country for Ukraine. Dmitry Gudkov said in a Facebook post that sources in Kremlin circles had told him “that if I do not leave the country, the fake criminal case will continue until my arrest.” Gudkov said he believes the investigation was aimed at preventing him from running for the national parliament this year.

  • Head of Brazil's soccer confederation suspended by ethics commission

    RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) -The president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has been removed from office for 30 days by the organisation's ethics commission, it said on Sunday, only a week before Brazil is due to host the Copa America. Brazilian news reports said Rogerio Caboclo was accused of sexually harassing an employee. The CBF gave few details.

  • Joe Biden pledges to affirm special relationship as he heads to Britain for G7 summit

    Joe Biden has said he wants to strengthen the special relationship with Britain ahead of his arrival in London on his visit this week. The US president, who will meet the Queen and attend the G7 summit in Cornwall, said he would use his upcoming meeting with Boris Johnson to "affirm the special relationship" and endorsed the prime minister's G7 goals of tackling climate change and strengthening ties between democracies. "In the United Kingdom, after meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson to a

  • Asia shares turn cautious ahead of U.S. inflation

    Asian shares turned lower on Monday as relief over the benign U.S. jobs report was chilled by caution ahead of key inflation data later this week, while a coronavirus outbreak in Taiwan took a toll on chip manufacturers. EUROSTOXX 50 futures and FTSE futures eased 0.1%. Also of interest will be the tussle over U.S. President Joe Biden's proposed $1.7 trillion infrastructure plan with the White House rejecting the latest Republican offer.

  • Elton John Is “Overjoyed” JoJo Siwa Joined The LGBTQ+ Community

    "You’re a shining example to young people the world over and their families that love is love."

  • Hungarians protest planned Chinese university campus

    Thousands of Hungarians protested on Saturday against a proposed Chinese university campus in Budapest.The protesters marched through the capital to the national parliament, carrying signs which read 'Treason' and 'Hungarian university from Hungarian money'.Critics of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban accuse him of cosying up to China.They fear the campus could undercut the quality of higher education and help Beijing increase its influence in Hungary and the European Union.Hungary's government signed an agreement with Fudan University in April.The Shanghai-based institution plans to build the campus at a site in Budapest.The government says Fudan is a world-class institution and the campus would "allow students to learn from the best."But opposition politicians and economists have criticized what they say will be the high costs of the project.They also point to a lack of transparency.The liberal opposition mayor of Budapest has renamed streets around the proposed campus after the victims of China's alleged human rights violations.This week, Beijing said "a few Hungarian politicians" were trying to grab attention and obstruct cooperation between China and Hungary.

  • Spread the Love: 11 Pride Purchases That Will Actually Make a Difference

    Shop fashion that gives back with rainbow daisy platform sandals, striped headbands, and cotton tees celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride.

  • Ukraine's Zelensky "confused," "disappointed" by Biden not trying to block Russia pipeline

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he learned through the press — not any direct heads-up — that President Biden had decided to stop trying to block a Russian pipeline that Ukraine sees as a dire national security threat.Driving the news: Zelensky used an hourlong Zoom interview with Axios on Friday to beseech Biden to meet with him face to face before a June 16 summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin — offering to join him "at any moment and at any spot on the planet."Stay on top

  • Half of Japanese people predict Olympics will be held this summer- Yomiuri poll

    Half of the Japanese public thinks the Olympics will take place this summer, a survey by Yomiuri daily newspaper showed on Monday, less than two months before the Games' scheduled opening. For the Tokyo Olympics, already postponed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, questions still remain over how Tokyo can hold the global event and keep volunteers, athletes, officials and the Japanese public safe from COVID-19. But Japan has been "cornered" into pressing ahead with the Games despite public opposition during the pandemic, one of Japan's sporting heroes and a member of the local Olympic committee said on Friday.

  • In photos: The aftermath of a ship wreck off the coast of Sri Lanka

    The sinking of a cargo ship carrying containers of harmful chemicals and plastics off the coast of Sri Lanka last week is shaping up to be an environmental disaster for the country.The state of play: The ship, the X-Press Pearl, caught fire on May 20 and burned for two weeks before finally beginning to sink. Toxic debris from the fire has blanketed miles of the country's western coastline.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeNow, bil

  • Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers on Inflation Worries, Cryptocurrency and 'Our Greatest Long-Term Threat'

    Summers, who served under Clinton and Obama, has emerged as a leading cautionary voice about damaging levels of inflation

  • Jacqueline Lloyd, retired KCK paraeducator and creative director, dies at 60

    “Jakki was one of the hardest working teachers that I’ve ever known. She dearly loved her students,” said co-worker Judy Sanders.

  • Elections expert 'genuinely' doesn't understand Democrats' voting rights legislation strategy

    Elections expert 'genuinely' doesn't understand Democrats' voting rights legislation strategy

  • Tennis-Williams stunned by Rybakina in French Open fourth round

    PARIS (Reuters) -Serena Williams' wait for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title goes on after the American was beaten 6-3 7-5 by an inspired Elena Rybakina in the French Open fourth round on Sunday. From the moment the 21-year-old Rybakina, playing in only her seventh Grand Slam main draw, held her opening two service games without dropping a point, Williams looked in peril. And so it proved as seventh seed Williams bowed out to add yet another twist to a wildly unpredictable women's event.

  • Naftali Bennett: The many faces of Israel's prime minister in waiting

    In 2018, Naftali Bennett, who was then Israel’s minister for diaspora affairs, rushed to Tel Aviv airport when he learned of a mass shooting in Pittsburgh where an extremist gunned down 11 people in a synagogue. Hours later, he found himself sitting in the synagogue next to its heartbroken liberal rabbi, Jeffrey Myers. “He sat with the rabbi and they cried together about their brethren who had been shot in their place of worship just twelve hours earlier,” a close confidant of Mr Bennett told Th

  • Simone Biles wins seventh U.S. title, more than any woman in history

    Simone Biles won her seventh title by a margin of 4.7 points as she continues to prepare for defense of her Olympic title.

  • Three US senators to visit Taiwan in trip expected to anger China

    Bipartisan group to meet top Taiwanese officials

  • After months of evading a lawsuit related to the Capitol insurrection, Rep. Mo Brooks was finally served

    On Sunday, Swalwell attorney Matthew Kaiser said a private investigator left the papers with Brooks' wife at their home in Alabama.

  • Plaschke: The 37-year reign of the Clippers Curse is on course for an NBA Finals demise

    After defeating Dallas in Game 7, the Clippers are trying to erase their curse by getting past top-seeded Utah for their first conference finals.