Putin loyalist turns on the Kremlin then lands in a psychiatric ward

Ilya Remeslo

The Kremlin insists Russia stands united behind President Vladimir Putin and his war. But when one of its own legal enforcers suddenly denounces the regime, the cracks are hard to ignore.

A little-known lawyer who once led the charge against the opposition has publicly turned on the president — accusing him of running a failing war and wrecking Russia’s economy. Within days, he was inside a psychiatric hospital in St Petersburg.

For a system built on loyalty and fear, the episode has sparked an uneasy question: are the fault lines beginning to show?

The Attack Dog Who Switched Sides

Ilya Remeslo was never a household name. But inside Russia’s political machine, the 42-year-old lawyer played a ruthless role.

He helped drive the legal offensive against opposition leader Alexei Navalny, accusing the anti-corruption campaigner of fraud and testifying for the prosecution during the 2022 trial that sent him to prison. Navalny later died in a remote Siberian penal colony — a death blamed by Moscow on “sudden death syndrome” but widely condemned in the West as political murder.

Remeslo then pivoted to backing the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. Until last week.

A Telegram Bombshell

In a post to his 90,000 followers on the messaging app Telegram, Remeslo dropped a political grenade: “Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin.”

He accused the president of waging a “failing war”, destroying Russia’s economy and clinging to power illegitimately. His verdict was blunt — Putin must resign and face trial as a “war criminal and a thief”.

Many assumed his account had been hacked. The next day he doubled down.

From Dissent to the Psychiatric Ward

Within 48 hours, Remeslo was admitted to St Petersburg’s Psychiatric Hospital No. 3.

The move inevitably revived memories of the Soviet era, when dissidents were frequently declared mentally ill and locked away. Yet reports suggest Remeslo admitted himself — raising speculation that he was trying to dodge arrest or build an “unsound mind” defence.

Either way, the message had already detonated across Russia’s political chatter.

Conspiracy, Provocation — or Cracks in the System?

Some analysts suspect a Kremlin trap. By launching his attack on Telegram — Russia’s most widely used political platform — Remeslo may have handed authorities an excuse to tighten control over online communications.

Others see a deeper intrigue: a trial balloon from factions inside the elite testing how far criticism of Putin can go.

The simpler explanation may be pettier. According to sources close to government, Remeslo had grown furious that his services were undervalued — and underpaid.

Why Moscow Is Watching Closely

Remeslo himself is hardly a powerbroker. But the reaction to his outburst matters.

Even Russia’s tightly controlled media has struggled to ignore the episode. In a climate of war fatigue, economic strain and rising security fears, the spectacle of a former Kremlin loyalist turning on the president — however briefly — has set nerves jangling in Moscow.

As one retired official from the Presidential Administration put it: if people begin to think the ship might be sinking, they start looking for lifeboats.

Putin’s attack dog has turned on him. It could be the beginning of the end