Ex-mayor Arrested on Charges of Discrediting Russian Army

Russian opposition figure and former mayor of Yekaterinburg Yevgeny Roizman attends an interview with AFP at his charity fund in the main Urals city of Yekaterinburg on July 15, 2022. (Alexei Vladykin/AFP)
Russian opposition figure and former mayor of Yekaterinburg Yevgeny Roizman attends an interview with AFP at his charity fund in the main Urals city of Yekaterinburg on July 15, 2022. (Alexei Vladykin/AFP)
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Ex-mayor Arrested on Charges of Discrediting Russian Army

Russian opposition figure and former mayor of Yekaterinburg Yevgeny Roizman attends an interview with AFP at his charity fund in the main Urals city of Yekaterinburg on July 15, 2022. (Alexei Vladykin/AFP)
Russian opposition figure and former mayor of Yekaterinburg Yevgeny Roizman attends an interview with AFP at his charity fund in the main Urals city of Yekaterinburg on July 15, 2022. (Alexei Vladykin/AFP)

The former mayor of Russia's fourth-largest city was arrested Wednesday on charges of discrediting the country's military, part of a crackdown on critics of Moscow's military action in Ukraine.

Police arrested Yevgeny Roizman, 59 who served as the mayor of Yekaterinburg in 2013-2018, following searches at his apartment and office, The Associated Press said.

Roizman told reporters he was charged under a new law adopted after Russia sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
Russian courts fined Roizman earlier this year on similar charges.

Roizman, a sharp critic of the Kremlin, is one of the most visible and charismatic opposition figures in Russia. During his tenure as mayor, he enjoyed broad popularity in Yekaterniburg, a city of 1.5 million in the Ural Mountains.

While police escorted him from his apartment Wednesday, Roizman told reporters that he would likely be brought to Moscow for investigation.

Days after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, Russia's Kremlin-controlled parliament controlled approved legislation that outlawed disparaging the military and the spread of “false information” about what the Kremlin describes as a “special military operation” in the neighboring country.

Courts have given fines and prison sentences to individuals who have criticized the Russian action in Ukraine.



Erdogan Says Türkiye Could Take Joint Steps with Elon Musk on Tech

Türkiye’s President and leader of Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends an election campaign rally in Istanbul on March 24, 2024, ahead of the March 31 municipal elections. (AFP)
Türkiye’s President and leader of Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends an election campaign rally in Istanbul on March 24, 2024, ahead of the March 31 municipal elections. (AFP)
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Erdogan Says Türkiye Could Take Joint Steps with Elon Musk on Tech

Türkiye’s President and leader of Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends an election campaign rally in Istanbul on March 24, 2024, ahead of the March 31 municipal elections. (AFP)
Türkiye’s President and leader of Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends an election campaign rally in Istanbul on March 24, 2024, ahead of the March 31 municipal elections. (AFP)

President Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye could take joint steps with Elon Musk on technology if opportunities for cooperation in that field arise, broadcaster TRT Haber reported on Wednesday.
US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Musk to a role aimed at creating a more efficient government, handing even more influence to the world's richest man who donated millions of dollars to helping Trump get elected.
"Musk is a businessman who works in the space and technology field," Erdogan told reporters on a return flight from Baku. "Technology isn't a field you can advance on your own, you absolutely need some cooperation. In the event cooperation opportunities arise in this field, steps can be taken with Musk," he was cited as saying.