Otrakovsky called his arrest in Dagestan a provocation.

Captain Ivan Otrakovsky, who came to Dagestan to help flood victims, was released today after three days of administrative arrest. He called reports of his detention lies.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," security forces detained Captain Ivan Otrakovsky in Khasavyurt on April 10. He had come to Dagestan to help flood victims. A court sentenced him to three days of pretrial detention, and Otrakovsky has declared a dry hunger strike.

Captain Ivan Otrakovsky, who was arrested for three days in Khasavyurt, Dagestan, was released this afternoon. According to Otrakovsky, upon arriving in Khasavyurt, he and a fellow traveler went to a church, where they were detained.

“My arrest was a provocation designed to cause discord between Russians and Dagestanis. They alleged we disobeyed the police and failed to comply with their demands, but that’s not true. While we were in the church, they asked us to leave. We did, and a group of gunmen with machine guns was waiting for us. We’re not stupid enough to resist in such a situation. We didn’t resist at all; on the contrary, we did everything they told us. I spent 40 minutes explaining to the judge what happened. Unfortunately, the decision was made based on a phone call, and I was jailed for three days,” Ivan Otrakovsky told the Caucasian Knot.

He noted that the police treated him with respect; “no one went beyond what they could.” According to Otrakovsky, the arrest did not affect his desire to help the Dagestani people.

“One of the officers asked if I regretted coming to Dagestan. I have no hard feelings. We accepted it with honor and pride, because we suffered for the truth. I would come again; helping our brothers comes first. We will always be there where help is needed. No one will succeed in causing discord between the Russian people and the Dagestani people. Ninety percent of the officers were perplexed by my arrest,” he noted. Otrakovsky’s Telegram channel claims that after his release, he went to deliver humanitarian aid.

A complaint regarding Otrakovsky’s detention and arrest has been filed with the Khasavyurt city prosecutor’s office, according to opposition blogger Askhabali Alibekov. "He came to visit Dagestan to provide humanitarian aid to flood victims, but he was not received very warmly. I have contacted the Khasavyurt city prosecutor's office with a request to investigate the legality of the actions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs officers who detained him. I hope that all these officers will be dismissed in disgrace," he said.

Alibekov clarified that he did not accompany Otrakovsky; he simply learned of his visit and decided to join him. "This is his first time in Dagestan; he came to help, but they detained him like savages. This will be a stain on Dagestan. On behalf of the Dagestani people, I apologize to him for this behavior. The police are not Dagestan. These people didn't think they were disgracing Dagestan; they didn't understand it," he said.

Dagestan Public Monitoring Commission Chairman Shamil Khadulaev said Otrakovsky was detained while leaving a church. “He was detained while leaving a church in Khasavyurt. Allegedly for using obscene language, but he denies this. Regarding the hunger strike, yes, he declared a dry hunger strike and kept it up, but on the third day he decided to call it off; his comrades managed to persuade him,” he told the “Caucasian Knot.”

When Otrakovsky was detained, he was told he was unwelcome in Dagestan, said local political scientist Denga Khalidov. "According to my information, he was told he was unwelcome in Dagestan and urged to leave the region. The reason for the detention is the same – he is unwelcome here," he told the "Caucasian Knot."

According to him, Otrakovsky declared a dry hunger strike, but was persuaded to abandon it on the evening of April 12. "He declared a dry hunger strike in protest against his illegal detention, but last night he was finally persuaded to abandon it. And this afternoon he was already free, everything was fine with him, he was treated well there," Khalidov noted.