Russian pro-war activist to face trial over alleged terrorism offenses, Russian news agency says

A Russian state news agency says a Russian court has ordered that a pro-war activist and critic of President Vladimir Putin be remanded into custody until Feb. 15

A Russian court Friday ordered that Sergei Udaltsov, a Russian pro-war activist and critic of President Vladimir Putin, be detained until Feb. 15 when he will stand trial for charges of “justifying terrorism,” Russian state news agency Ria Novosti said.

Udaltsov told Ria Novosti that the charges relate to his posts in support of members of a Marxist group who were arrested for creating a “terrorist community” in the city of Ufa, about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) east of Moscow.

Ria Novosti said the charges against Udaltsov carry a prison sentence of five to seven years.

Udaltsov is the leader of the Left Front, a group of political parties that oppose Putin and are affiliated with the Communist Party.

He was prominent during the 2011-12 protests that saw the biggest demonstrations in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and was briefly allied with now-imprisoned opposition politician Alexei Navalny.