Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against prominent blogger Anton Nosik after he supported Russia's air strikes on Syria on his Livejournal blog, independent Ekho Moskvy radio reported, citing an unidentified source close to the investigation.
Nosik is accused of inciting hatred and hostility, according to the source.
An investigation was launched in November last year following a blog post by Nosik about Syrian refugees in which he ?€?warmly welcomed?€? Russian air strikes in Syria, a representative of the Investigative Committee told the RBC news agency.
?€?I will not grieve if Syria is razed to the ground. Moreover, I will be thankful,?€? reads the post that is still available on the blogging site.
A speech on the Syrian crisis made by the activist on the Ekho Moskvy radio station was also investigated for extremism.
?€?I?€™ve never seen a proper legal definition of extremism since the law came into force,?€? Nosik told the RBC news agency, adding that he would not delete the controversial post.