A Moscow court ruled on Friday to confiscate the assets of the detained deputy chairman of the liberal Yabloko party as part of a criminal investigation against him for allegedly disseminating false information about the military.

Maxim Kruglov is facing potential imprisonment for up to 10 years on charges tied to two posts on Telegram from April 2022, in which he criticized the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He has consistently rejected these allegations, labeling them as “ridiculous.”

Kruglov was taken into custody and is being held in pre-trial detention until at least November 29.

According to the Moscow court system’s website, the ruling by the Zamoskvoretsky District Court to seize his assets will become effective on October 28.

Kruglov’s attorney, Natalia Tikhonova, has pledged to challenge the decision regarding the confiscation of assets.

“This ruling is not typical. Maxim Sergeyevich [Kruglov] is not engaged in business and does not have any extraordinary income,” Tikhonova stated to the legal defense organization Slovo Zashchite on Thursday.

She claimed that the charges are based on Kruglov’s Telegram messages that referenced United Nations figures concerning civilian casualties in Mariupol and Bucha. Russia has accused Ukrainian forces of causing deaths in Mariupol and denies any wrongdoing by its soldiers in Bucha.

Kruglov was a member of the Moscow city council from 2019 until 2024 and took on the role of deputy chairman of Yabloko in December 2023.

He had previously been labeled a “foreign agent.”