The well-known Russian writer Boris Akunin has been listed as a "terrorist" and "extremist" by Moscow, in response to his criticism of the war against Ukraine.
The Russian financial supervisory authority Rosfinmonitoring on Monday said that it added Akunin, who has been living abroad for years, to its registry of "terrorists and extremists."
Russia's Investigative Committee also said that it openede separate proceedings in absentia against the Kremlin critic for allegedly justifying terrorism and for spreading "fake information" about the Russian army.
Akunin, who was born in 1956 in Georgia - then part of the Soviet Union - is best known for his crime novels. His real name is Grigory Chkhartishvili.
A few days ago, excerpts from a conversation were published in which prank callers loyal to the Kremlin had tricked the 67-year-old into admitting, among other things, that he had collected donations for Ukraine.
The Russian publishing house AST subsequently announced that it was stopping the sale of Akunin's books.
"The banning of books, the categorization of some writer as a terrorist - it seems like a small event," wrote Akunin on his website.
In reality, however, it is a "milestone" in the treatment of critical artists in Russia, he said. Writers had not been accused of terrorism since the Great Terror under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin (1879-1953).
"Take care and don't get lost if you are in Russia. And if you have travelled abroad but are having a hard time in a foreign country and are thinking about returning, don't come back," Akunin added, addressing other critics of the Kremlin.
"The night will get darker and darker. But it will still dawn afterwards."
