In the Moscow region, musician Vladimir Bolobolov has been arrested on charges of possessing explosives.

The Reutov City Court has remanded musician and punk performer Vladimir Bolobolov in custody on charges of possessing an explosive device (part 1 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code), his lawyer, Oskar Cherdzhiev, has reported.

According to the defence, the investigative materials have been falsified—Bolobolov never possessed any explosives, nor could he have. “It is utterly absurd to claim that some sort of explosive was supposedly kept openly in his dresser drawer. I assert directly that this item was planted,” Cherdzhiev told Mediazona.

At the hearing, Cherdzhiev said that at the end of August, Bolobolov was abducted and held for three days in a basement with a bag over his head, where some sort of device—likely the one later declared as the “explosive, found during the search”—was forced into his hands. The defence stated that two doctors examined him.

“They found dozens of physical injuries on his body. Marks from electric torture. Here, on his collarbones. This was done by so-called FSB officers. Actually, I can’t state for certain they were FSB officers—they were masked,” Cherdzhiev told Mediazona.

When Bolobolov went to hospital to document signs of torture, he was detained at the exit and given 15 days of administrative arrest. When that term ended, he was detained again—this time on criminal charges.

The search of the musician’s flat took place while he was missing. His relatives believe the explosives were planted on him.

The case materials claim that the device was supposedly seized on the evening of 28 August, and just an hour and a half before midnight the FSB had already presented an expert opinion on the explosive content.

At the hearing, Bolobolov stated he considered himself innocent and requested a milder pretrial restraint, stressing that he did not intend to go into hiding. The investigator and prosecutor insisted on remand in custody, and the court agreed.