A few days after the parliamentary elections in Russia, political scientist Alexander Kynew is in custody. He is accused of large-scale illegal drug trafficking.
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Kynew was classified as a foreign agent in February and commented intensively on the Duma election.
A few days after the Russian parliamentary election, the independent political scientist Alexander Kynew was arrested in Russia.
His lawyer confirmed this to several Russian media and announced that he wanted to take action against it. According to an entry on the website of a Moscow court, he is accused of illegally producing, selling or distributing drugs on a large scale. According to the Russian state news agency Tass, he faces up to 20 years in prison. According to his lawyer, Kynew denies the allegations.
Kynev is a well-known political scientist who specializes in elections and regional politics in Russia. He commented intensively on the proceedings of the parliamentary election last weekend. It was initially unclear exactly when he was arrested. The last post in his Telegram channel appeared on Wednesday and was about the Duma election.
In February, Kynev was classified as a "foreign agent." This is how the Russian justice system brands people and organizations that actually or supposedly receive money from abroad.
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