Twice-poisoned Washington Post columnist arrested in Russia after criticizing Putin

A Washington Post reporter has become the latest victim of Russian President Vladimir Putin's crackdown on negative media reports about him.

According to a report from the Post, Vladimir Kara-Murza, who has traveled around the world criticizing Putin, was arrested after appearing on CNN where he predicted Russia's invasion of Ukraine would result in Putin's downfall.

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow noted Monday night that Kara-Murza has actually been poisoned twice since opposing Putin and has managed to survive.

"Part of the way Vladimir Putin stays in power in Russia is that he keeps imprisoning and killing all the opposition figures and Russia," Maddow told her audience. "They've got Alexei Navalny in jail now after nearly killing him with poison. Mikhail Khodorkovsky in jail for a decade. Now he's in exile. Boris Nemtsov, they had him gunned down on the street. But the opposition it keeps trying. it keeps going. VladimirKara-Murza, linked all these opposition figures, a very high-profile opposition figure in his own right, carrying out the work of all of these killed and imprisoned leaders to keep the opposition alive in Russia."

Before the CNN interview, Kara-Murza spoke to MSNBC's Ali Velshi, who asked if he was afraid of Putin and what might happen. “This is where I have to be," he explained.

“A false reality has been created by the Putin regime here in Russia” he explained. A “total blackout” on information about the invasion of Ukraine. He also revealed that not a day goes by that someone in Moscow doesn't approach him and thank him. The Russian people are not with Putin on the war, no matter what propaganda the Kremlin spreads.

"I'm worried for you, my friend," said Velshi.

On Monday, Kara-Murza appeared on CNN and described the Kremlin as "a regime of murderers." He explained that he has "no doubt that the Putin regime will end this war in Ukraine." He thinks that someday, "there will be a democratic Russia after Putin."

"Vladimir Kara-Murza was arrested for 15 days, accused of disobeying the police," said the foundation.

From the complaint: “Mr. Kara-Murza Vladimir Vladimirovich, at the sight of the police officers, behaved inappropriately, changing the trajectory of movement, quickened his pace and tried to hide when asked to stop.”

Kara-Murza's wife Evgenia confirmed the arrest in a tweet late Monday. “Twice have the Russian authorities tried to kill my husband for advocating for sanctions against thieves and murderers, and now they want to throw him in prison for calling their bloody war a WAR,” she wrote. “I demand my husband’s immediate release.”

Read the full report from the Washington Post and see Maddow's opener below: