In brief
Lev Shlosberg, the deputy head of the Yabloko party, has been handed an 11‑year prison sentence in a penal colony for allegedly discrediting Russia’s armed forces and spreading false information. The harsh verdict came moments before the Supreme Court rejected Yabloko’s appeal in a bid to bar the party from the upcoming parliamentary elections. Shlosberg’s comments on social media calling for a ceasefire and political dialogue sparked the charge, which the Pskov court held as punishment for his political stance. The ruling underscores the Kremlin’s continued crackdown on opposition voices amid a tightening grip on civil society, with the capital’s anti‑war dissent largely silenced.
Russian anti‑war activist Lev Shlosberg has been sentenced to 11 years and one month in a penal colony for “discrediting” the armed forces and spreading false information about them.
Shlosberg, 63, condemned the Pskov court verdict as “a punishment for his political, public and civil position” and called it “an imitation of an investigation” aimed at an illegal goal.
The ruling came minutes before Russia’s Supreme Court rejected Yabloko’s appeal against a ban that barred the party from participating in the September parliamentary elections. Yabloko, the only registered opposition party to oppose the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, will now appeal its case, while the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent continues.
Charges focus on Shlosberg’s social‑media posts calling for a ceasefire and a political dialogue. The Pskov court found him guilty of “public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation,” with the prosecution demanding 12 years and one month in prison.
Amid the crackdown, all 10 other parties slated to contest the 18‑20 September election support the war. Independent election observers have lost much monitoring power, while the Kremlin’s poll results remain the only official readings.
