Russian activist fished from Moskva River after entering water with ‘Putin Hitler’ sign

A 68-year-old activist has climbed over the side of a bridge on the Moskva River in the centre of the Russian capital carrying a sign saying “Putin Hitler”, independent news channel SOTAvision reported on Tuesday.

Grigory Saksonov, also known as Uncle Grisha, climbed over the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge and jumped into the water, according to SOTAvision, after which he was pulled out of the river by security forces and taken away in an ambulance.

Saksonov will be held at a police station overnight and is expected to appear in court on Wednesday on two misdemeanour charges — taking part in an unauthorised action and disobeying a police officer, his lawyer Oskar Cherdzhiev told independent outlet RusNews.

Saksonov, a seasoned activist, has frequently found himself on the wrong side of the law for his protest activities. In 2018, Saksonov was detained on the same bridge in central Moscow while cleaning the memorial to slain opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, which he has helped maintain for many years, according to human rights organisation OVD-Info.

In 2021, Saksonov was detained at a rally after Alexey Navalny had returned to Russia from Germany after recovering from the assassination attempt against him. Navalny, who was killed in prison in February 2024, was arrested at the airport as soon as he landed in Moscow.

In February, Saksonov was attacked while keeping vigil at the memorial to Nemtsov, according to independent news outlet RusNews. A policeman looked on from his car as the assault took place but chose not to intervene, only getting involved when other policemen arrived on the scene.