Russian oppn leader Lev Shlosberg jailed for 11 years for anti-war remarks

Russian opposition leader Lev Shlosberg has been sentenced to 11 years and one month in a penal colony for his anti-war remarks, according to prosecutors. The 63-year-old deputy chairman of the liberal Yabloko party was convicted of discrediting Russia's armed forces and spreading false information about them in a court in Pskov.

Shlosberg, who denies the charges, called the proceedings a political trial. He had described the war as a game of "bloody chess" during a video debate and called for its immediate end. The charges stem from his comments in the debate and a repost on his Telegram channel. Prosecutors also added a charge of spreading fake news about the war.

Shlosberg was detained in June last year and has been in pre-trial detention since December 2025. The case is part of a broader Kremlin crackdown on dissent ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election. Yabloko is the only political party to have openly opposed the war in Ukraine, with slogans like "For a ceasefire agreement, diplomacy and peace!" and "For a Russia free from fear and political repression!".

The party's chairman, Nikolai Rybakov, said the party would continue its legal challenge and condemned the 11-year sentence as "barbaric". Amnesty International also condemned the verdict, calling it "blatant reprisals" for exercising freedom of expression.