A prominent Russian military blogger who has been critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin was arrested in Moscow, according to Russian state media and a Telegram message attributed to his wife, in the latest example of Moscow's crackdown on dissent.

Igor Girkin, a former official in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in Ukraine, was charged with inciting extremist activity, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Friday, citing the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow. If found guilty, Girkin could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.

Girkin — also known by the nom de guerre Igor Strelkov — was reportedly taken from his apartment by Russian security officials Friday morning.

“Today, at about 11:30, representatives of the Investigative Committee came to our house,” according to a statement on Girkin’s Telegram account and attributed to his wife, Miroslava Reginskaya. “I was not at home at that time. Soon, according to the concierge, they took my husband out under the arms and took him to an unknown direction.”

Russian state news agency TASS said Reginskaya informed them about the extremism charge and that law enforcement agencies confirmed Girkin's detention.

“I do not know anything about my husband's whereabouts and he has not contacted me,” her statement read.

Girkin's criticism of Putin: The reported arrest suggests the Kremlin’s patience with dissent has grown thinner in the wake of the private military company Wagner's short-lived rebellion last month. The far-right figure, who cofounded an ultra-nationalist political group called The Angry Patriots Club this spring, has been openly critical of Russia’s military in Ukraine and even President Vladimir Putin himself.

The day after the Wagner rebellion in Russia ended, on June 25, Girkin said that if Putin “is not ready to take the leadership over the creation of war ready conditions” in Russia, “then he really needs to transfer the powers, but legally, to someone who is capable of such hard work.”

A second update on his Telegram account attributed to his “associates” said that his arrest coincided with an attempt to split The Angry Patriots Club over differing opinions about Wagner and its attempted insurrection.

Girkin also apparently called Putin a “lowlife” on his Telegram channel three days before his arrest. “The country will not be able to withstand another six years of this cowardly bum in power,” Girkin had said.

Some background: Girkin is a former colonel in Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and served as defense minister in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine. A Dutch court last year found Girkin guilty of mass murder for his role in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, and he was sentenced in absentia to life in prison. According to the court, Girkin also participated in conflicts in Chechnya, Transnistria and Bosnia.

Ukraine's reaction: The Ukrainian defense intelligence agency claimed Girkin's arrest signals that there could be internal confrontation inside the Kremlin. A representative for the agency, Andriі Yusov, told Ukrainian broadcasters on Friday it was “paradoxical” that Girkin had been arrested but not Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.