In brief
Lev Shlosberg, deputy head of the liberal Yabloko party, was sentenced to 11 years in a penal colony for allegedly discrediting Russia’s armed forces. The verdict arrived as the Supreme Court barred Yabloko from the upcoming parliamentary elections, isolating the only party openly opposed to the Ukraine invasion. Shlosberg accused the trial of being a fabricated “imitation of an investigation” and called for a cease‑fire and political dialogue. The case highlights the Kremlin’s tightened grip on dissent under wartime censorship laws.
Lev Shlosberg, 63, the deputy head of the liberal Yabloko party, was sentenced on Monday to 11 years and one month in a penal colony for “discrediting” the Russian Armed Forces and spreading “false information” about them.
The Pskov court’s verdict came minutes before Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that Yabloko would be banned from the upcoming parliamentary elections, a move that many see as a crackdown on the only registered party openly opposing the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Shlosberg maintained that the trial was a fabricated “imitation of an investigation” and accused the Russian judicial system of pursuing an unconstitutional goal. He reiterated calls for a cease‑fire and a political dialogue while being repeatedly interrupted by judges.
The sentence follows years of suppression of dissent under wartime censorship laws that punish protesters with hefty fines or lengthy prison terms. The Kremlin’s continued dominance was underscored by the fact that all other parties participating in the September election have supported the conflict.
