Kremlin Targets Novelist Akunin as Russia Adds Him to Extremist and Terrorist Lists

The whereabouts of jailed Russian opposition figures, including Alexei Navalny, remain unknown as they are incommunicado and unreachable by their lawyers. Meanwhile, the Kremlin is intensifying its repression of opponents and critics, with a popular novelist, Boris Akunin, being branded as a terrorist. President Vladimir Putin is ramping up his anti-Western military rhetoric, claiming that Russian weapons are superior to NATO's in the war on Ukraine. As Putin's reelection campaign begins, there are concerns about the safety of Navalny and other political prisoners, while the propaganda machine works to build a cult of personality around Putin.