A Moscow court issued an arrest warrant in absentia on Tuesday for exiled novelist Grigori Chkhartishvili (under pen name Boris Akunin) over his critique of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Accused of justifying terrorism and spreading “fake news” about the Russian army, Akunin, who has resided outside Russia since 2014, faces charges initiated last month by Russian law enforcement.

The Basmanny District Court in Moscow ruled for Akunin’s arrest, stipulating a two-month detention period should he be extradited to Russia. If convicted, Akunin, 67, could face up to seven years in prison for terrorism-related charges and up to 10 years for disseminating “fake news” during wartime. In December, Russia’s Ministry of Justice opened a criminal case against Akunin, and on January 12, it recognized him as a foreign agent.

Moreover, Rosfinmonitoring, Russia’s financial intelligence agency, listed Akunin as a “terrorist and extremist,” enabling authorities to freeze his Russian bank accounts. Known for his vocal opposition to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Akunin co-founded the “True Russia” platform, aiding Ukrainian refugees and exiled anti-war Russians.

The decision to arrest Akunin in absentia coincides with an intensifying crackdown on dissenting voices regarding Russia’s military actions. In November 2023, Ksenia Fadeyeva, an ally of imprisoned opposition figure Alexei Navalny, was jailed while on trial for extremism in the Russian city of Tomsk.