Russian whistleblower to face trial

A former policeman who accused senior officers of corruption in a series of video blogs will himself face prosecution for abuse of office, Russian investigators say.

Former police major Alexei Dymovsky became a household name in Russia this year when he used YouTube to appeal to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to tackle corruption in the police force.

A criminal case will be brought against Dymovsky for "fraud committed by a person using his official position", the Prosecutor-General's investigative committee said.

It gave no further details.

Dymovsky said the charges were fabricated.

"They want to silence me and gain revenge," he said.

Dymovsky, who worked for the police force in the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, appealed to Putin to rein in senior officers whom he accused of pressuring subordinates to charge innocent people to meet statistical targets.