Moscow investigators levied criminal charges against the man considered to be the godfather of Russia's blogosphere, accusing him of extremism for a post that called for "wiping Syria off the face of the Earth."
The charges against Anton Nosik -- announced on April 26 by the capital's branch of the national Investigative Committee -- were widely anticipated.
A prolific blogger whose writings are some of the most widely viewed on the Russian-language Internet, Nosik has not denied publishing the remark about Syria in October and making similar comments in a radio interview later.
But he said the case highlighted the "delusional and ridiculous" nature of extremism as defined in the Russian Criminal Code.
Nosik wrote the controversial post a day after Russian launched its air campaign in Syria to bolster the forces of longtime ally President Bashar al-Assad.
The post also likened the Assad regime to that of Nazi Germany.