{
  "id": 9762637,
  "title": "Moscow Police Arrest Political Expert Alexander Kynev on Drug Charges",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/moscow-police-arrest-political-expert-alexander-kynev-on-drug-charges",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-25T12:17:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Moscow Times",
    "slug": "the-moscow-times",
    "url": "https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/09/25/moscow-police-arrest-political-expert-alexander-kynev-on-drug-charges-a93796"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Russian political expert Alexander Kynev was taken into custody on drug-related charges, according to exiled news outlet Mediazona. Kynev, who served as a professor of political science at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, faces charges of \"large-scale illegal drug production, sale, and trafficking,\" with a potential 20-year prison sentence. The details of his arrest remain unclear, as law enforcement officials have not addressed Mediazona's report. Kynev was labeled a \"foreign agent\" by Russia’s Justice Ministry in February. Despite his vocal opposition to the government, he decided to stay in Moscow amid escalating political repression following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Kynev, a regular contributor to The Moscow Times, has been involved in political consulting since the 1990s, beginning with the liberal Yabloko party.",
  "summary": "Kynev is a veteran political consultant and independent elections expert who used to teach at the Higher School of Economics.",
  "key_points": [
    "Russian political expert Alexander Kynev arrested on drug charges",
    "Faces 20-year prison sentence for large-scale illegal drug production",
    "Labeled foreign agent by Russia’s Justice Ministry in February"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Meduza (English)",
        "title": "Russian political scientist and election analyst Alexander Kynev arrested in Moscow on drug charges",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/russian-political-scientist-and-election-analyst-alexander-kynev",
        "published": "2026-09-25T11:56:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}