Russian authorities detained on Monday a liberal politician who recently returned to Moscow from abroad for not reporting he possesses Israeli citizenship on time.
Leonid Gozman was nabbed after the Russian Interior Ministry issued a warrant for his arrest while investigating a criminal case against him.
Gozman has been accused of breaching a law that requires Russian citizens to notify authorities about holding foreign citizenship or a residency permit. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to a fine or community work.
However, Gozman argued he notified authorities about his and his wife's Israeli citizenship, but in response, he was told he failed to do so within the required time frame.
Gozman explained that he did not know that according to Russian law he was obligated to announce receiving foreign citizenship within 60 days.
He was then taken in for questioning but was later released. Gozman also claimed that he and his wife did not intend to travel to Israel.
Gozman, a vocal critic of the Kremlin's campaign in Ukraine, left Russia when the conflict started but returned in June in what he described as a "moral" choice.
The Russian Justice Ministry has listed him as a "foreign agent," a description that carries a strong pejorative meaning and implies additional government scrutiny.
Gozman's lawyer Mikhail Biryukov said the politician was detained on the Moscow subway and taken to a police station.
The latest move could be part of Russia's relentless crackdown on dissent on opposition members amid Moscow's military action in Ukraine. Or a result of the growing crisis between Jerusalem and Moscow following the demand to terminate the Jewish Agency branch in Russia.