MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. The Moscow City Court has extended the arrest of former DPR Defense Minister Igor Strelkov for six months, the court’s press service told TASS.

"Today the Moscow City Court held a preliminary hearing in the criminal case against Igor Vsevolodovich Girkin (Igor Ivanovich Strelkov). The court extended the pre-trial restrictions for six more months," the press service said.

A criminal investigation into Strelkov was launched on July 18, and three days later he was detained in Moscow. The former defense minister of the Donetsk People’s Republic is charged with committing a crime under Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (calls for extremist activities). Strelkov was arrested for posts he made on his Telegram channel. The article under which he was arrested envisages up to five years in jail.