Russian authorities have detained a prominent blogger and fined an opposition politician in moves widely seen as efforts to suppress dissent ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections scheduled for September.

Ilya Remeslo, a blogger known for his outspoken criticism of President Vladimir Putin and the conflict in Ukraine, was arrested on Friday on charges of disseminating false information about the Russian military, according to state news agencies. Remeslo was taken from his home in St. Petersburg to Moscow, where a court ordered him held in custody until mid-September. His lawyer, Sergei Badamshin, said Remeslo denies the allegations. If convicted, Remeslo could face up to 10 years in prison.

Previously supportive of the Kremlin, Remeslo published a manifesto in March titled “Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin” which quickly gained widespread attention on social media. Following his public dissent, Remeslo was reportedly confined in a psychiatric hospital for about a month.

In a related development, Boris Nadezhdin, a politician who sought to run against Putin in the 2024 presidential election on an anti-war platform, was fined 1,000 roubles (approximately $13) for displaying what authorities called “extremist symbols.” Though the fine was nominal, the incident forms part of a pattern of escalating pressure against Nadezhdin, who criticizes the Kremlin’s policy on Ukraine, referring to the conflict as a “completely senseless fratricidal war.”

Nadezhdin, 63, who served as a liberal member of parliament between 1999 and 2003, was recently labeled a “foreign agent” — a designation that carries implications of espionage and bars political participation. He was detained and interrogated earlier this week and subsequently prohibited from leaving Russia.

The case against Nadezhdin reportedly involves a social media post linking to a video containing an image of late opposition figure Alexei Navalny, whose Anti-Corruption Foundation is banned as extremist by Russian authorities. Nadezhdin described the charges as “ridiculous.” His lawyer indicated the measures are intended to curb his ability to campaign and speak out on issues such as internet restrictions, energy shortages, and the ongoing war.

The Kremlin defends its stringent censorship laws as necessary to maintain national unity amid what it describes as an existential conflict with Western countries. However, opposition groups continue to face restrictions. The liberal Yabloko party, which opposes the war in Ukraine, has had several members disqualified from elections. In a notable case last month, its deputy chair, Maxim Kruglov, was sentenced to seven years in prison for spreading “military fakes.”

These cases highlight increasing challenges faced by critics of the Kremlin in the lead-up to an election that is likely to test Putin’s long-standing dominance amid economic difficulties linked to the war and targeted attacks on Russian infrastructure.