He stayed in Russia and kept saying the war in Ukraine must end. Now opposition politician Lev Shlosberg is going to prison for more than 11 years.
Judge Viktoria Malyamova of the Pskov City Court sentenced Lev Shlosberg, deputy chair of Russia’s Yabloko party, to 11 years and one month in a penal colony for repeatedly “discrediting” the Russian military and for spreading “false information” about the Armed Forces, the independent Russian news outlet Mediazona reported.
Pskov City Court sentenced Lev Shlosberg, deputy chair of Russia's Yabloko party, to 11 years and one month in a penal colony. The judge, Viktoria Malyamova, imposed the sentence for repeatedly "discrediting" the Russian military and spreading "false information" about the Armed Forces. The prosecutor, Anna Goryacheva, had requested a 12-year sentence.
Shlosberg's case began with a debate recording with historian Yuri Pivovarov, in which Shlosberg advocated for an end to Russia's war with Ukraine. He was accused of spreading his opponent's words from the debate. Additionally, Shlosberg faced charges of spreading false information after reposting an image from a now-defunct Russian radio station, depicting a bloodied woman with a message referencing President Vladimir Putin.
These charges arose before Russia had enacted a law against false information about the military in March 2022. Shlosberg, one of the few Russian politicians to openly criticize the war from within the country, has been targeted by authorities for his stance. He was previously designated as a "foreign agent" in June 2023 and faced repeated fines for "discrediting" the military and violating foreign agent obligations.
Shlosberg's pretrial detention began in December 2025, following the opening of the false-information case.
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