Russia detains YouTube blogger, accuses him of breaching secrets law

A Russian YouTube blogger who makes videos of industrial sites and abandoned facilities was arrested earlier this month on a charge of illegally obtaining and disseminating state secrets, a court said on Wednesday. Andrei Pyzh, who runs a YouTube channel with nearly 800,000 followers, could face up to eight years in jail if found guilty. It was not immediately clear whether he had denied the accusation or not. His lawyer could not immediately be reached.

In his videos, Pyzh visited sites including abandoned bunkers and a functioning radar station used for Russia's nuclear strike early-warning system, Russia's Kommersant newspaper reported. Details of criminal cases involving Russian state secrets or treason seldom come to light because authorities say they are classified. Critics say these cases are often opaque and cannot be properly scrutinised.

A court in Moscow told Reuters it had ordered Pyzh to be held in custody on Aug. 6 until October pending trial.

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