Kremlin critic jailed in Russia for 11 years for opposing the war in Ukraine

A Russian court sentenced Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of the opposition Yabloko party, to 11 years and one month in prison on Monday for speaking out against the war in Ukraine. This is the latest in a series of crackdowns on dissent since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Yabloko is the only political party openly opposing the war. The Supreme Court has also barred Yabloko from participating in the upcoming parliamentary election on September 18-20.

Shlosberg, 63, is Yabloko’s deputy chairman and previously served in the regional legislature of Pskov. He was convicted of "discrediting" and spreading "false information" about the Russian military, stemming from a debate where he called for ending the war and posted a graphic image on his Telegram channel. Shlosberg rejects the charges as unfounded and has been designated a "foreign agent," a label that brings additional government scrutiny.

In his final court statement, Shlosberg called Russia's path from hopes for freedom to the "almost complete destruction of human and civil rights and freedoms" and warned that the true death toll of the war would cause "the entire country to shudder." Amnesty International denounced the verdict as a punishment for exercising the right to free expression, urging the Russian authorities to release Shlosberg and quash his conviction.

The Supreme Court also upheld its earlier decision to prevent Yabloko from appearing on the ballot, rejecting the party's appeal.