Journalist, Kremlin Critic Flees Russia Following Threats

Russian journalist Aleksandr Sotnik

A Russian journalist known for his anti-Kremlin stance has left Russia, saying he feared for his life.

In a video posted on YouTube on September 20, Aleksandr Sotnik said he had received threats in a telephone call.

“We are going to tolerate you until October and after that we will transfer you to a vegetable department," Sotnik quoted the unknown caller as telling him.

Sotnik said that he would temporarily stay in Georgia, from where he plans to continue his online video channel.

The channel, called Sotnik-TV, has been available on YouTube for five years.

He has criticized the Russian leadership, including President Vladimir Putin, and expressed support to Ukraine in its fight against Russia-backed separatists.

Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and has supported separatists in the country's east.