Summary

A Russian court on Monday, August 17, sentenced prominent opposition politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 years in prison over his criticism of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine. The 63-year-old is among the very few Kremlin opponents who remained in Russia after it launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent following the 2022 Ukraine assault. The court in Pskov, northwestern Russia, found the deputy head of the Yabloko party guilty of "public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," sentencing him to "11 years and 1 month of imprisonment." Shlosberg, when asked by the judge whether he understood the verdict, said: "I feel sorry for you, Your Honor, you have to live with this." Yabloko leaders Nikolay Rybakov and Grigory Yavlinsky called the ruling "the tragedy of the disintegration of modern Russian justice" and said the party would seek an end to Shlosberg's prosecution by all lawful means. Last week, Yabloko, Russia's only anti-war party still functioning in the country, was barred from running in the September legislative elections and is appealing the ruling on Monday. Rights group Amnesty International said Shlosberg's "arbitrary prosecution and sentencing are blatant reprisals for exercising his right to freedom of expression to call for peace." Shlosberg has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and was charged over his participation in an online debate on the war as well as for sharing critical articles about it. The longtime Kremlin opponent has denounced Moscow's actions in Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and backed pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine. Russia has criminalised criticism of its offensive in Ukraine, with laws punishing "discrediting" the army and spreading "false information" about it carrying sentences of up to 15 years. Most of President Vladimir Putin's opponents are dead, jailed or exiled.