Kremlin critic dies with mystery ailment after being transferred to hospital from prison while awaiting trial for 'treason'

Published: 12:54 EDT, 27 October 2026 | Updated: 12:57 EDT, 27 October 2026 An imprisoned critic of the Kremlin who was awaiting trial on treason charges has died after being taken to hospital. Alexander Kondratov, 52, was rushed to Botkin Hospital in Moscow on Friday after suffering from an unknown ailment, according to rights organisation Perviy Otdel. Mr Kondratov, a production designer for a popular Russian television series who moved to Ukraine in 2012, was detained by border guards at Vnukovo International Airport on May 5 after he arrived in Moscow to renew his passport. In August, he was charged with treason, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison for men in Russia. According to his defence attorney Natalia Tikhonova, the charges were related to at least six online posts Mr Kondratov had made. The nature of his social media posts is not known, but he was a known critic of the Kremlin, according to reports. Mr Kondratov's death marks the 11th known case of someone dying in Russia's custody this year while awaiting trial on charges that are viewed as being politically motivated. The production designer had worked on the 2007 post-World War II detective programme 'Liquidation.' Alexander Kondratov, 52, was awaiting trial on treason charges in Russia when he diedHis work on the series earned him two major Russian television awards. News of his death comes as the trial of a pro-Kremlin activist who spent years targeting Russian opposition figures before making a surprise U-turn to denounce President Vladimir Putin and Moscow's Ukraine offensive opened in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday.Ilya Remeslo, 43, was arrested in July and charged with 'spreading false information on the Russian army' - a crime that carries up to 10 years in prison under censorship laws adopted after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.Remeslo had contributed to the jailing of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, testifying against him in court and was a key legal henchman for years in denouncing the Kremlin's political opponents.He shocked many by turning on Putin this year, calling him a 'war criminal' and saying Moscow was waging its offensive against Ukraine 'solely to satisfy his ego'.Two days later, Remeslo was sent to a psychiatric facility - a move reminiscent of Soviet-era forced hospitalisation.In court on Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.At an earlier pre-trial hearing, he had told the court: 'I am being persecuted for criticising authorities, for my personal opinion.'Remeslo said he was 'just using my basic right to free speech... guaranteed by the constitution which has been unfortunately forgotten.'Russia, ruled by Putin for more than 26 years, does not tolerate dissent or verbal attacks on the president and has jailed a string of critics.Hundreds of thousands of people left Russia after it launched the Ukraine war and Putin's opponents are mostly dead, in exile or jail.Throughout the war, the Kremlin has faced sporadic opposition from loyalists.In 2023, Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin marched his men towards Moscow, in one of the biggest threats to Putin's rule. He died in a mysterious plane crash several months afterwards.