Putin critic jailed for 11 Years as Russia crushes opposition

Prominent Russian anti-war politician Lev Shlosberg has been sentenced to 11 years and one month in a penal colony, in a major blow to one of the country’s last remaining liberal opposition voices. The 63-year-old was convicted of “discrediting” Russia’s armed forces and spreading false information about them.

Shlosberg condemns a trial he calls a political punishment

A court in Pskov delivered the verdict on Monday after prosecutors demanded a sentence of more than 12 years. Shlosberg rejected the charges, accusing the authorities of staging an “imitation of an investigation” to achieve what he called an illegal political objective.

In his closing speech, he again called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and political dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv. He was repeatedly interrupted by the presiding judge, according to a transcript published by Novaya Gazeta.

Yabloko suffers another crushing blow

The sentence came just minutes before Russia’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Shlosberg’s Yabloko party against its exclusion from September’s parliamentary elections. The liberal party, whose deputy chairman is Shlosberg, was the only registered political force to oppose Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Yabloko said it would appeal Shlosberg’s conviction. The party was removed from the ballot earlier this month after accusations that it supported the “international LGBT movement”, which Russia has designated extremist, as well as a separate copyright-infringement claim.

The ballot is narrowing fast

All 10 other parties contesting the 18-20 September election support the war in Ukraine. Yabloko rejects the accusations against it, but its exclusion leaves voters with no registered party offering a clear anti-war platform.

The crackdown comes as support for the ruling United Russia party has fallen to 32.1 per cent, according to state pollster VCIOM — its lowest level since May. Yet the Kremlin retains extensive control over the political system, while independent election monitors have been stripped of much of their ability to challenge the process.

Opposition faces prison, not Parliament

Shlosberg’s sentence underscores the narrowing space for dissent nearly four years after Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Wartime censorship laws have made public opposition increasingly dangerous, with critics facing fines, prosecution and lengthy prison terms.

For Yabloko, the battle now moves to the courts. For Russia’s broader opposition, the message from Pskov is far more stark: challenging the war can carry a devastating personal price.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4kjnle2neo