Russia jails nationalist critic Igor Girkin for four years on extremism charges

Igor Girkin, a Russian nationalist and former rebel commander, was sentenced to four years in prison by the Moscow City Court on Thursday, according to CNN.Moscow City Court convicted Girkin, also known under his pseudonym, Strelkov, of inciting extremism – a charge he denied, added the report.

Notably, he had been openly critical of the Kremlin, leading to his legal troubles.Girkin, a former officer of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and an ex-military commander, played a significant role in the annexation of Crimea and the early stages of the invasion of Donbas. Subsequently, he transitioned into a prominent Russian military blogger with over half a million followers on Telegram.Additionally, Girkin was closely associated with the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in July 2014 and had been convicted in absentia of mass murder in connection with the tragic incident.With inputs from agencies